Washing Away
by xBleedingBlackRosex
Summary: The Warblers go on a field trip to one of the most beautiful spots in America. But it isn't so beautiful, though, when a hot surfer takes a fancy to Blaine. Emotions run high. Can the ocean calm everyone enough to save Kurt and Blaine's relationship?
1. Chapter 1: Big News

**Greetings, lovelies! :D This is the sequel to "Camping," but hopefully it will make sense even if you haven't read that. Just a few references that you might miss. But besides that...Hope you enjoy!**

…

"Blaine, I love you and all, but you've _got _to stop waking me up at these insane hours..."

"It's eight o'clock!" Blaine laughed. Even over the phone, it sounded wonderful.

"Exactly!" Kurt half-buried his face back into his pillow. "It's Saturday morning...There is _no_ legitimate excuse for getting up before ten."

He could practically hear his boyfriend rolling his eyes. "Come on, don't just sleep the day away!"

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't," he muttered.

"Because I have some amazing news for you, and you need to get over here at once!"

"News? Oh my god Blaine, you're _pregnant_, aren't you?" Kurt pretended to gasp. The mention of big news had finally shaken him awake. He sat up in bed, holding his iPhone close to his ear.

Blaine burst into laughter. "_Yes_, Kurt, how'd you know?"

"Oh, you know, fatherly intuition and all..." Kurt bit back a chuckle of his own and crossed his room to his closet. "I don't have to wear my uniform, do I?"

"No, no, of course not. I'm in pajamas..."

"Oooh, I approve," Kurt smirked. "I'll be right over, in that case! See you soon."

Blaine was laughing too hard to say goodbye.

…

Ten o'clock arrived at the same time Kurt did. He wore his favorite red skinny jeans – the ones he knew drove Blaine mad – black Converse, a black collared shirt, and a silver vest with a pocket-watch. The look was finished off with a red and black scarf. He made his way up to the Warbler Hall, smiling in response when a few boys passed him in the hallway and greeted him warmly. Even after all this time, he was still getting used to the idea of being popular.

He pushed open the double doors. Most of the Warblers were already present. None of them were in their uniform – a truly strange sight indeed. They looked up at the sound and simultaneously broke into grins.

"Kurt, great, you're here!" Wes beamed. "Blaine went to change. We're just waiting for Trent, and then we can start."

"I'm back!" Blaine announced from behind semi-breathlessly. He noticed Kurt and drew him close to place an all-too-brief kiss on his cheek. "Hey, Kurt, glad you're here."

"Oh, there's nothing I enjoy more than cutting my beauty sleep short to go back to school on a Saturday morning for some unknown reason...It brings me immeasurable joy."

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." He winked and led them to an unoccupied spot on one of the couches. Trent arrived not long after that, balancing large cup-holders of coffee from the Lima Bean. After everyone had gotten their own and expressed their gratitude, Wes stood and began to speak.

"Now, this meeting had been called on account of a very rare and exciting opportunity." Blaine's hand found Kurt's; he was practically dancing in his seat. Clearly he already knew what this 'opportunity' was. "As some of you may already know, my parents have a summer beach house in Maui..." This made everybody shift excitedly, guessing where this was going. "Well, bring out your leis, boys, because I've finally convinced Principal Evans to let the Warblers take a little field trip..._to Hawaii!_"

…

**HUH. And ZAH.**

**You like? ;) I'll update as soon as I can! I'm college-touring all this week though so it's tricky to find time...Speed-typing late at night in hotel rooms is what I'm stuck with at the moment. Bare with me, please!**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	2. Chapter 2: Negotiations

**New chapter! (No duh, Ripple, what ****_else_**** would this be? Excuse my subconscious; she's pretty sarcastic. Her name is Yelah. Oh my god I just introduced you to my subconscious. Well ****_this_**** is awkward...) Hope you enjoy! Excuse any mistakes. Hotel room floors are really not the best place for writing. I know, ****_shocking_****, right?**

…

This announcement was met with uproarious cheering. Kurt was the only one who didn't leap to his feet and clap wildly as Wes took exaggerated bows. There was no way he could afford a plane ticket, especially not to somewhere as far away as Hawaii. It was situations like these that reminded Kurt of his social standing in comparison to his classmates. And it killed him inside. Especially because he'd always dreamed of going somewhere as beautiful as Hawaii with Blaine one day.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Wes finally requested. The guys settled back into their seats, buzzing with energy now. "It won't be all fun and games. In order to convince the principal to give us academic leave from school, I promised we'd do some sponsored performances for Dalton. It's like a promotional tour. We have some family friends that own restaurants and such that are willing to host us."

"When are we leaving?" Jeff asked eagerly.

"Friday. At lunch."

"For how long?" Nick chipped in.

"Four nights. We'll be coming back on Tuesday."

Blaine noticed Kurt's morose expression. He instantly grew worried. _Does he not want to go?_ Squeezing Kurt's hand, he murmured, "Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you excited?"

The brunette tried to smile back reassuringly, but it came off as more of a grimace. "I'm excited for you. Really. But Blaine...I can't even afford to board at Dalton. Do you really think I could afford a plane ticket to Hawaii?"

Blaine let out a sigh of relief. _Is that all?_ "Oh, Kurt, you don't have to worry about that!"

"Huh?" But before he could ask for any further explanation, Wes withdrew a stack of boarding passes and began handing them out. As Kurt got his, he couldn't help but wonder what they would have done if somebody hadn't been able to go. He stared at his name. _Why don't I have to worry about the cost? Surely the school isn't paying for these! And Wes is generous and all, but there's no way he's bought all these out of his own pocket._

Sure enough, little Marcus turned to Wes and asked shyly, "How do you want us to pay you back?" There was another slip along with his ticket, too, just a ripped piece of white notebook paper. Kurt's eyebrows drew together. He had not received one of those. Looking around, he noticed that they'd all gotten one. Except for him.

"Check would be preferable," Wes shrugged.

Kurt was about to speak up about his lack of a receipt when he noted that Blaine was folding up two and shoving them quickly into his pocket, out of sight. His eyes widened in realization. He grabbed Blaine's arm tightly and lowered his voice to just over a whisper.

"Blaine..._Tell_ me you're not going to pay for me...!"

Confusion flashed over his face at Kurt's expression. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Now, Blaine was a smart guy. He knew automatically that he'd said something wrong. He did his best to always be considerate about others' financial situations, but there were times when his actions did not come off quite the way he'd hoped. And obviously his intention of helping Kurt out was severely misinterpreted. "Of course there is!" Kurt practically hissed. "There's no way I could let you pay double! That's totally unfair! I'd feel awful!"

Apparently he'd spoken louder than he'd intended, because Ethan, who sat on the opposite end of the couch from them, overheard him. He leaned over to join the conversation. Argument, really. "Don't worry, Kurt, it's not just him! We'd _all_ be willing to pay for you."

This had the entirely opposite effect from its purpose, however. Kurt got to his feet in a huff, eyes blazing. "I don't need your charity, thank you very much!" And with that, he dropped the boarding pass on the coffee table and headed for the door. He'd had enough of this. He may not have been the richest student at Dalton, but that did not mean they could rub it in his face. He had his pride, after all.

"Kurt!" Blaine pleaded amongst the Warblers' protests. Kurt could hear him following. "Kurt, you know that's not what we meant!"

"Just stop!" Truthfully, he was not even sure why he was getting so worked up about it all. It was just a stupid plane ticket. But he was too upset to think about it logically at the moment. "I can't accept _pity money_, Blaine, especially from my boyfriend. I won't!"

"_Pity money?_" Blaine caught his arm, forcing him to stop halfway down the hall. The countertenor kept his eyes fixated on the floor. "Kurt, _no_! It's not like that at all! I _want_ you to go...I mean, I don't want you to miss out on the Warblers' field trip and all, but honestly I'm just doing this for a selfish reason. I want to spend more time with you...I want to spend _all_ my time with you. This is for my benefit just as much as yours."

Kurt heard the raw sincerity in his voice. It effected him more than he would ever admit. His throat tightened and his heart began to race. Now he felt horrible for his sporadic outburst. He sighed. To be honest, he really _did_ want to go; he'd never been farther than New York, and that had been a car drive with his parents when he was seven. This would definitely be _way_ better.

"Alright," he finally conceded. "But you have to let me pay you back in some way. How much is it?" He saw Blaine open his mouth to protest, like the gentleman he was, and quickly insisted, "Come on, Blaine, at least half! I'll let you pay for some of it. But I _will_ pay you back somehow."

Blaine pulled him closer and pressed his lips briefly to Kurt's. "How about a dollar per kiss?" he offered seductively.

Kurt laughed despite himself and leaned back in for another softer, tender kiss. But he knew he would not be satisfied until he'd done something in return. Something Blaine really, _really_ wanted. He would not rest until his debt was settled.

…

When Kurt arrived home that afternoon, after going out to lunch with Blaine, he went straight to his father. Getting permission from the school to allow sixteen boys to miss two and a half days of classes would be nothing in comparison to convincing Burt to let his son out of the state without him. But it would be no use putting it off until later, especially since the trip was coming up in less than a week.

"Hey, Dad...? Can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, sure, Kurt. What's up?" He peeked out from under the car he was working on, secretly worried his son was going to ask him about something he'd read in those pamphlets he'd given him a while back. Having The Talk with him was awkward enough. He'd hoped Kurt would not actually need to come to him for anything after that.

Kurt leaned against a table and folded his arms over his chest. "I-...I was invited on this field trip with the Warblers today...And I was hoping you'd say I could go."

Burt struggled to hold in a sigh of relief. This was a _much_ safer topic. In fact, he already knew about this. But he was willing to play along. "Not another camping trip, I hope? You came home with a boyfriend last time. I don't want to know what you'd come home with _this_ time!"

"Dad!" Kurt gasped, scandalized. "No, no! It's- It's a trip to the beach..."

"The beach?" He ducked back under the vehicle to hide his grin. "You mean like New Jersey or something? That's sort of a long drive..."

"No, I mean..." Kurt heaved a sigh. It was now or never. "I mean Maui. Hawaii."

He knew that his father had given up his honeymoon in Waikiki for him, to send him to Dalton. This would be like a slap in the face to him. But he would not ask him to pay for the ticket, and he would certainly not mention that Blaine was paying for him. He would find a way to repay Blaine in his own way, with his own time and effort.

Burt rolled out from under the car and stood up, wiping his hands on the dirty cloth. Kurt bit his lip. But he didn't look mad. He looked...resigned.

"I know."

Kurt's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"I know," he repeated. "I got a call a couple days ago from Blaine, and that friend of his...Bes?"

"Wes," Kurt corrected automatically.

"Oh yeah. Wes. Well, anyway, they called and talked to me about it. I said no, originally, but..." He shrugged. "What can I say? They were _very_ persuasive. That boyfriend of yours should really think about being a public speaker."

"You said _yes_?" Kurt gaped. Then, after a pause, he added, "And you didn't_ tell me_?"

Burt chortled at his son's incredulity. "I'm assuming you want to go, don't you?"

"I- Well, yes, I mean- But you-!" His lack of comprehensible response was enough for his father. Burt understood. While he was not entirely pleased with the concept of letting Kurt's boyfriend pay for his plane ticket, he wanted his only child to be able to enjoy life without any restraints. And opportunities like this did not roll around very often. He was willing to suck up his own pride if it meant letting Kurt have a wonderful time with his friends.

"But you'd better behave yourself, now!" he warned. "No..._funny business,_ alright?"

Kurt burst out laughing. If that was the worst of it, he would willingly take another typical don't-have-sex-yet spiel. "I know, Dad, I know! I promise, I'll be on my best behavior." He gave his father a quick hug and quickly headed for the door. He had to start planning outfits as soon as possible. As he reached his closet, however, his iPhone vibrated in his pocket. It was Blaine.

"Hey!" he answered breathlessly.

"Hey, yourself!" the disembodied voice chuckled. "I'm guessing your talk with your dad went alright?"

Kurt could hear the smirk in his voice. "I've very impressed with him for not letting it slip! And _you_. You are going to _get it_ when I next see you, Blaine Anderson."

"Oh, I can't wait..." The suggestive purr of his deep voice made Kurt shiver.

"_Blaine_!" he scolded with a laugh. "You're awful..."

"This is going to be great!" His enthusiasm was contagious. Kurt practically danced over to his vanity and began mentally choosing which lotions he would absolutely _need_ to bring with. "I'm telling you, Kurt, it is _gorgeous_ there. _And_ there's indoor plumping, so no worries there." Kurt rolled his eyes at this blatant teasing but let it slide. "The water's always so clear, and the temperature is never too cold and never too warm, and the flora is so colorful, and-"

Just then, Kurt realized something. "Hey, Blaine...Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh? What's that?"

It was Kurt's turn to smirk. "Doesn't going to the most beautiful beaches in America sort of require _swimming_...?"

He could have sworn he heard Blaine's jaw hit the floor.

…

**BOO to the YAH. In the next one you'll see something quite amusing ;D Well, it's amusing to me at least...and we all know how hard it is to amuse ME. (Excuse me while I go clean this sarcasm off my chin)**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	3. Chapter 3: Lessons

**Okay, I'm gonna be completely honest with you – I was ****_not_**** originally planning to have a teaching-swimming scene at all in this story! DON'TKILLMEHEARMEOUTFIRST! In my original outline this sequel picked up ****_after_**** Kurt teaches Blaine, with maybe some minor flashbacks or memories of it. But since ****_so_**** many people have requested/demanded a teaching scene, I felt it was only right I should grant you guys that. ;D Hopefully it'll make up for my not-so-totally-awesome updating patterns.**

…

"I can't do it."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I really, _really_ can't!"

"Blaine, do _not_ make me drag you in."

"You'd kill me!"

"_This is the shallow end_, Blaine!"

Kurt gave him his best do-as-I-say-before-I-smack-you glare, hands on his hips, foot tapping out an impatient beat on the concrete below. Blaine watched the water anxiously, as if he was expecting a mermaid to fly out of it and pull him under. He had not forgotten his near-death experience at the lake last month. He could still feel the sting of oxygenless lungs, the rush of unwanted lake water invading his windpipes. It was definitely not a fond memory. If Kurt hadn't been there...

"Look, Kurt, maybe this isn't such a good idea..." He laughed uncomfortably. His arms were wrapped around himself, looking thoroughly nervous and distinctly non-Blaine. Blaine was confident. Blaine was sure of himself and of his abilities. Blaine faced his problems head on and dealt with them directly.

But Blaine was also terrified of that water.

Kurt sighed. They were by the Anderson's saltwater pool. Why Blaine had a giant pool in his backyard and never swam was a mystery to the countertenor. When he had pointed out that the soloist would need to eventually learn, however, Blaine had requested he be the teacher. Although not a professional himself, Kurt certainly knew enough to teach Blaine at least the basics. It wasn't like Blaine was completely clueless, after all. He _had_ taken lessons as a child. Kurt was more teaching him not to fear the water, so that he would not drown next time he swam. And by the looks of it, this mission was going to be surprisingly difficult to achieve.

"Blaine, come here." He held out a hand and put on his most supportive, trustworthy smile. His boyfriend hesitated, then drew closer and took it. He could not help but obey when Kurt smiled like that. If he was shirtless at the same time, Blaine probably would have willingly jumped in front of a moving truck, had Kurt asked him to. Not that he would. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes," was the automatic response. And it was true.

"So you believe me when I tell you it's going to be _fine_?" he continued.

"I-..." He glanced towards the pool again. "Yes."

"Good." Kurt led him to the edge of the pool, tightening his grip when he felt the slight tug in the opposite direction. He stepped in first. The water was lukewarm – neither hot nor cold. Perfect. He went down another step before looking back. "_Come on_, Blaine. Just follow me!"

Blaine stepped in after him. Kurt squeezed his hand reassuringly and continued down until they were both in the middle of the shallow end. The water only came up to their waists. Blaine was beginning to calm down. _This is fine! I can handle this...What was I so scared of?_

"Now, go underwater."

He gasped. "What?" _Oh, yeah. That._

Kurt was getting impatient. He'd never known Blaine to be so resistant to something. (Which was really saying something, because they'd had a talk about his hair gel before.) So he tried a different approach. He slid his arms around Blaine's neck and leaned in so that their lips brushed ever so slightly, not actually kissing. When he felt Blaine try and close the minute gap, he drew back, teasing, tempting. He loved the little moan that Blaine emitted.

"If you don't do it, I won't kiss you for the rest of the week." And to accentuate this whispered threat, he released Blaine completely and stepped back. The dark-haired Warbler looked positively dumbstruck.

"You- You're cruel!" he declared. But Kurt just raised an expectant eyebrow. With a groan, Blaine took a deep breath and sank underwater. Kurt watched carefully. This was much more effective. When he'd resurfaced, he wiped his eyes but grinned with pride. "I didn't die!"

Kurt burst out laughing. "I _knew_ you wouldn't, silly!"

"Now what?"

"Now let's tread water."

They continued on. Kurt used a mixture of encouragement, coaxing, and threats to get Blaine to do what he wanted. Blaine would pull out his puppy eyes and request an example, which Kurt would grudgingly provide. In reality, though, Blaine just wanted at excuse to stare at his boyfriend, to study the way his muscles tensed with each stroke and the way the water rolled over his lean, pale body. _If only he wasn't wearing that t-shirt..._

_Focus, Blaine!_ he scolded himself for the umpteenth time, catching himself once more forgetting to watch the perfect freestyle stroke Kurt was showing him, and instead imaging what it would feel like to run his fingers over that smooth, flat stomach. _Stop thinking like that. He's taking the time to help you get over this embarrassing, irrational fear. What kind of boyfriend am I being? I should be more grateful._ And so he tried. He tried very hard to stay focused on the task at hand. By the end of the afternoon, he was entirely comfortable moving around in his pool. An entire ocean, of course, would be different. For now, though, he was satisfied. He could stay afloat without panicking. That was all he really needed.

"Thank you so much for helping me out," he said, toweling his hair dry. The sun was beginning to kiss the horizon.

"Oh, my pleasure!" Kurt assured. "I really don't fancy dating a dead guy. Totally uncool."

Blaine laughed and pushed him back in. Kurt gasped – his hair was wet enough as it was – and splashed him. Blaine offered him his hand to help him back out. Instead, Kurt snatched his wrist and tugged him in as well. They both laughed. There was a bit of innocent horse play at first, until somehow they found themselves lip-locked in the middle of the pool, arms around each other, legs entwined.

"Blaine..." Kurt breathed. It was quickly getting more heated. Blaine's hands found the bottom hem of Kurt's shirt and all but tore it off of him, tossing it carelessly towards the edge of the pool. His hands explored Kurt's chest, while Kurt did the same with him. His legs ended up around the older boy's waist. They'd made out before, of course, but never like this. Perhaps it was the water, affecting their subconscious, or perhaps it was the sight of bare skin that did it. It didn't matter; it was still _incredible_.

Before it could progress any farther, however, there was a call from indoors.

"Blaine, sweetie? I'm home!"

They broke apart, breathing heavily. After a moment of simply gazing into each other's eyes, they laughed and pressed their foreheads together, waiting for their heartbeats to calm down. It was probably good it had stopped before it went too far, really. There would be a time for that. But it was not then. They did not want to rush into anything and threaten their relationship. So Blaine pulled them back out of the water and grabbed their towels from the sun chairs. He captured Kurt with his and pulled him in for another kiss – softer this time, affectionate instead of passionate, but equally loving – before quickly drying himself off with his own.

They went indoors. Blaine's mother was there in the kitchen, staring into the refrigerator. She was a beautiful woman, short and very thin, with thick black curls down to her shoulders and soft chocolate brown eyes. It was only the second time Kurt had met her – the first time being when Blaine brought him home to officially introduce him as his boyfriend. But she had been very nice to him; she clearly approved of him. His father, on the other hand, seemed a little resilient to the whole situation. He was not against Blaine being gay, per say, but he obviously still had the lingering hope that it was just a phase that would fade with time, a sickness he would eventually heal from.

"Oh my, were you two boys swimming?" Her eyes roamed over their dripping swim trunks and wadded up towels and shirts. She certainly _hoped_ that was what they had been doing.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed. "I told you he was coming over today..."

"Yes, yes, of course," she assured quickly. "But...Blaine, sweetie, you-...The pool isn't exactly your favorite-"

Blaine chuckled as his mother tried to phrase it politely. "I don't swim. I know, Mom. But since we're going to Hawaii on Friday, Kurt offered to give me some lessons. It'd be pretty embarrassing going to the beach with all the guys and be the only one not going in, right?"

"Well, that was very thoughtful of you!" She smiled warmly at the countertenor. He was clearly someone special to Blaine, if he could get Blaine to work on his resistance to swimming so easily; she'd been trying for years to get him to deal with this phobia. After the typical classes as a child, he'd refused point blank to go near the water. Their pool was a no-no zone for him. To be able to change that so effortlessly said something about Kurt, and about Blaine's feelings towards him. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude," he refused politely.

"Not at all, not at all!" she insisted.

He smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but I really should be getting home. My father tends to worry about me when I'm out past sundown...It was nice seeing you again, though!"

"Nice seeing you, too!" She waved as they strode past, towards the foyer. "Stop by any time you'd like – you're always welcome here."

"Thanks!" he called over his shoulder. Blaine stepped out onto the front porch with him. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. Text me?"

"Of course." He leaned in and kissed him, not minding that they were still in clear sight of his mother. She accepted him and his sexuality one hundred percent; there was no need to hide it from her. It was when his dad was around that they had to tone it down. "See you...Drive safe."

"Bye!" He hopped into his car, cranked up the heat, and pulled out of the driveway. If he was lucky, he would make it home before Burt got too worried. The entire way back, his mind continued to wander back to those last moments in the pool. He wondered where it could have gone, had Mrs. Anderson not returned home then. _Would we have...?_ But Kurt blushed at the very thought. He liked Blaine a lot, he truly did, but he wasn't too sure he was ready for that step. After all, reading about it in a pamphlet and actually _doing_ it was totally different.

But he knew that, when he was finally ready, he wanted it to be with Blaine, and nobody else.

…

**And there you go, the swimming scene! That was for you magnificent reviewers, you! XD Hope you enjoyed! In the next chapter they'll head off...You should be excited. 'Cause I am. PARTY!**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	4. Chapter 4: First Flight

**Why is there an airport scene? Because I wrote this while waiting for my own flight back home. And like they say...write what you know! (Wait, I write an insane amount of Klaine. Does that mean I'm a gay boy? Not that I'd mind, but, y'know, someone should have told me sooner...)**

…

The week passed in a rush of packing and swimming and excitement. The Warblers rehearsed the songs they would be performing in Maui every day, not out of necessity but out of impatience. They were all eager to be off already. Almost all of them had been to the islands at least once before. For Kurt, however, it was an entirely new experience. He found himself talking just as animatedly with the Warblers as any of them. Blaine was extremely glad he'd convinced him to let him pay for it. It was more than enough of a reward just to see his boyfriend's face light up like that. He'd pay for a thousand more plane tickets as long as it kept that smile in place.

"My dad's been pestering me all week," Kurt half-laughed, half-complained. "He still doesn't think I can handle getting on a plane and going so far from home! I'm seventeen, though, I'm not exactly a baby..."

"Wait, are you saying you've never been on a plane before?" Blaine asked, incredulous. He had been flying for longer than he could remember.

Kurt pointed to himself. "Poor. Remember?"

Blaine plucked at his Marc Jacobs jacket and chuckled. "Clearly not _very_ poor!"

The brunette wrapped it closer around himself protectively, pouting. "This was a _necessity_!" he insisted defensively. This just made Blaine laugh even more. He slipped his arm around Kurt's waist as they made their way to Warbler practice. It was Thursday afternoon; it would be the last rehearsal they had before their trip the next day.

"Of course it was, Kurt, of course it was..."

…

If Kurt was honest with himself, he was more than a little nervous at the prospect of flying for the first time. He did not much fancy the idea of hurtling through the sky in a metal tube. He'd read enough stories in the paper to know how dangerous it was, to know how many things could potentially go wrong.

The charter bus – provided by Dalton – dropped the sixteen boys off at the airport at one o'clock, leaving them with two hours before their flight. Kurt was very glad the other Warblers were clearly so well practiced in the goings on of the airport, because he was quite baffled by it all. Blaine had given him a rundown on the general system – warning him about the quart-sized bag rule and the two-carry-on limit and such – but it was all much different in practice. Luckily, none of them had to get searched while going through security, although Wes's bag was apparently very suspicious. He was mocked for it for the rest of the way to their gate. They arrived with a good hour and a half to spare.

_We must be a sight to see_, Kurt realized. It probably wasn't a very common sight to see sixteen teenage boys flying together in the middle of April. _At least we're not in uniform_, he reasoned. The administration had allowed them to come to school that day in casual attire, so that they would not have to travel in their blazers and ties, just so long as it was nothing too extravagant or inappropriate (Kurt had grudgingly appealed to Blaine on this matter, as he was well aware this his taste was neither 'casual' nor 'modest'). He had ended up going with a simple pair of dark-wash skinny jeans; a forest-green, short-sleeved, button-up collared shirt; his black Gucci sunglasses; and a long black-and-white scarf. It was about as toned down as he could get. Nevertheless, he'd still drawn eyes that morning in class.

"How are you doing?" Blaine asked, his hand falling naturally onto Kurt's knee as they claimed seats at their gate. There were not enough empty ones; some of the Warblers were forced to take up spots on the floor, surrounded by the luggage.

"I'm about to put my life into the hands of somebody I've never met before, it smells absolutely horrendous in here, and I haven't eaten anything all day. I'm spectacular, Blaine, how are you?"

Blaine laughed. He was used to Kurt's increased sarcasm when he was hungry. "Airport smell. You'll get used to it."

"I sincerely hope not..."

"Come on, let's go get some food in you." He stood. Kurt followed willingly. Automatically, the boys on the floor began edging towards the newly-vacated seats. "Don't even think about it."

"Are you going to get food?" David pressed. "Oh thank god, I'm coming too! I'm about to eat Wes's face off..."

"Hey!" the Asian-American gaped. "Don't eat your host! It's _totally_ bad manners...And I like my face!"

"You're the only one," Blaine threw back, earning a smattering of laughter. "Okay, whoever's hungry, let's go!"

They all promptly got to their feet.

Thad rolled his eyes. "We can't _all_ go and leave the luggage unattended. Let's go eight at a time." This made much more sense. So Blaine and Kurt led six others back towards the food court they'd passed earlier. Kurt ended up settling for a fruit plate and chicken salad – downright refusing to let Blaine pay even though he offered – while the curly-haired guitarist went for a chocolate scone, butter croissant, and ham sandwich.

"You're never going to let me buy you anything anymore, are you?" Blaine surmised with a knowing smile, biting into his scone. A fleck of chocolate clung to his lower lip. Not minding that they were in public, Kurt leaned in and licked it off. He grinned when he heard Blaine's breathing hitch.

"Never," he whispered.

"Guys, enough with the PDA!" Wes mock-scolded.

"Seriously," David agreed, mouth full of parfait. "We're happy you guys are together and all, but I'm _eating_ here!"

Kurt, who was closer, kicked him in the shin. He choked on his parfait.

"Ow! Did you have to wear those _boots_?" Kurt nodded and calmly returned to his assorted fruit. The Warblers stifled their laughter in their food. The other eight boys then returned with their own lunches.

As it turned out, frittering away an hour was not difficult at all when Kurt was sitting next to Blaine. When the Warblers were not bursting randomly into song – annoying a few but mostly entertaining their fellow travelers – or retelling stories of their personal past experiences in Hawaii, Blaine was entertaining Kurt with walks through the terminal, magazine-browsing, and remembering his own excursions to the islands. It was never hard for them to talk; they could easily spend hours upon hours chatting about everything and nothing. But at the same time, they did not feel the need to fill the silences with useless words. It was just that they usually had something more to say. They'd gotten over the awkward new-couple phase; now they were content to just sit in each other's company whenever the conversation died out.

The call to start boarding came halfway through Blaine's story of how he and his mother had ended up taking hula lessons the last time they were in Kauai. He broke off at once and moved to gather up his bags.

"It's time!" Wes called unnecessarily. The group rose as one and grabbed their luggage, double-checking to make sure they had their boarding passes. Kurt and Blaine fell in line behind a struggling Marcus, whose bags were each about half his own size.

"Hey, Marcus, need some help with that?" Kurt half-teased, half-offered.

"Oh, Kurt, no, no," he assured, a little breathless, but smiling. "Thanks, though!"

The moment he stepped onto the airplane, Kurt's heart began to race. Despite the calm front he put on, internally he was sinking into panic mode. Blaine, who sensed this, gave him a reassuring smile. If his hands had not been occupied, and the aisle had not been so thin, he would have wrapped an arm around his waist. When they got to their row, near the middle of the aircraft, Kurt stowed his larger bag in the overhead bin, stretching to expose a taunting strip of bare skin above his jeans. Blaine couldn't help but remember running his hands over that exact same spot only days before in his pool. He hoped nobody noticed the heating of his cheeks as he put his own bag up next to Kurt's.

"Do you want the window seat?" Kurt asked.

"No, you take it!" Blaine wanted Kurt to have a clear view of the islands as they approached. It was a truly stunning sight from above.

"Thanks." He slid in. Blaine took the middle seat, and David ended up on his other side. Wes, Thad, Marcus, and Jeff were in the middle section across the aisle from them. Ethan, Nick, and Trent were in front of them. The rest of the Warblers were settling down around them. Blaine noticed many other people on the flight staring at them. This was not a rare occurrence. They drew attention pretty much everywhere they went.

Kurt shrank into his seat the moment he felt the plane begin to move. Blaine lifted the controls between them and moved his arm around his shoulders. The younger boy subconsciously scooted a little closer to him.

"Hey," Blaine murmured calmingly over the typical spiel about seat-belts and exit signs, "relax! It'll be fine! Flying isn't scary."

"Promise?" He took a deep breath. He looked pale. Well, pal_er._

"Promise." This was accented with a kiss to his temple.

David faux-moaned. "If you two spend the entire flight making out I might actually jump ship." Blaine raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, jump _plane_, then!"

The aircraft picked up speed. Kurt's hand found Blaine's free one and squeezed it. His eyes remained fixated on the window as his boyfriend drew soothing patterns into his palm. The ground was flashing by far too quickly. And then, with a subtle lurch, they left the runway. Blaine couldn't help himself from snickering at Kurt's expression of awe mixed with fear.

And they were off.

…

**Have fun, Warblers! :D They'll arrive in the next chapter. I'm super psyched about it. Writing about Hawaii always makes me so excited, and combine that excitement with my regular Klaine excitement and I might actually explode! (No, don't worry, I won't. That would be very messy.) I know there isn't too much happening yet, but I PROMISE things are going to get intense...**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	5. Chapter 5: The Arrival

**And after a while in the plane, they arrive at last! Sorry it's taking them so long to actually GET there...I wrote these past few chapters while traveling, so I was pretty much just writing what was happening to me. (You know, minus the whole traveling-with-sixteen-dashing-young-men thing ;D)**

…

David pulled out a book as soon as they breeched the cloud-line. Blaine withdrew some gum from his pocket, slipped a stick into his mouth, and offered another to Kurt. The brunette took it gratefully. His ears were not popping, and it was extraordinarily frustrating. Since there was nothing to see outside the window anymore, he brought out his iPod, and Blaine followed suit. Kurt rested his head on the older boy's shoulder. Blaine could faintly hear Kurt's music even through his own earphones, but wasn't able to make out any distinctive lyrics. It was nice. There was something about the simplicity of their position that he loved.

About two hours in, the crew played a game with the passengers. Whoever guessed closest to the number of miles left to Maui would receive a special prize. Unsurprisingly, this instantly caught the Warblers' attentions. Never one to pass up a competition, Blaine promptly snatched David's book out of his hands and tore out the back page, which was completely blank. David made incomprehensible sounds of distress and protest. Blaine snorted and handed the book back. It wasn't like the page had been crucial to the story – seriously, why did they even have those empty pages in the back anyway? He pulled out a pen from his bag and got to work coping down the information they gave over the intercom. He internally thanked his physics professor.

Most of the Warblers came close. Blaine and Ethan ended up tying for first, Jeff coming in second and Thad coming up third. Kurt had not even bothered to enter. They were headed for _Maui_, for goodness sakes, not a science convention! The flight attendants who brought them their prizes were clearly impressed that teenage boys could 'guess' the answer so accurately. The first-place winners each got a basket overflowing with fake flowers, nuts of all sorts, popcorn, and other nibble-treats. The second- and third-place prizes were similar, but in smaller quantity and of less variety.

"Good job," Kurt beamed, granting him a kiss on the cheek. "You're such an adorable little nerd..."

"But I'm _your_ little nerd," he smirked back.

Nick poked his head up from the row in front of them. "Dude, you guys gotta try those popcorn thingies! They're trippy..."

"Are you guys eating Ethan's already?" Kurt assumed.

Ethan's head joined Nick's. "It's cool! I don't mind."

Kurt shrugged. "Your prize. You can do what you like with it." He turned to Blaine. "But it might be wise to keep at least _some_ of that until we land, so that we can have something to snack on without having to buy anything at the airport."

Blaine was once again reminded of Kurt's more financially-logical disposition. If he had been alone, he would have scarfed down the food then and there. But Kurt, of course, was thinking ahead. _He's such a good influence...How on Earth did I survive without him for so long? _"Yeah, good idea!" He placed the basket at his feet, still wrapped in plastic, untouched.

David smacked his shoulder with his book. "You totally owe me one of your nuts."

Blaine and Kurt turned to each other in bemusement, before simultaneously bursting into laughter when they realized what he'd meant. They could hear a few others Warblers who were in earshot break down as well. "A-Alright," Blaine wheezed, tears of mirth pricking his eyes. "I- I didn't know you felt that way, David!"

The African-American frowned at their immaturity and thumped his bicep once again with the corner of the paperback. "You _know_ what I meant. Sickos."

The snickers from around them did not die away for a good five minutes, though.

…

Around seven, after the meal cart had come by and everybody had eaten the semi-recognizable dinners, the crew turned off the main lights of the plane and requested that people shut their windows. People powered down laptops and removed headphones and brought out the provided pillows and blankets. Many a seat was reclined. Wes purposefully snapped his back right into Kyle's face, causing an outburst of badly-stifled laughter amongst the Warblers. The group earned a couple glares for that.

Kurt and Blaine both tilted their own seats back a bit. Kurt then curled his legs up onto his seat, covered his folded form in that uncomfortable blue airplane blanket, and snuggled himself into the crook of Blaine's shoulder and neck. He fit there perfectly, like a puzzle piece. It did not take long until his breathing slowed into the deep, steady sounds of unconsciousness. Blaine smiled down at him with nothing but affection in his hazel gaze. He found himself following Kurt into the land of dreams, his head coming to rest atop of Kurt's.

Blaine did not know how long he slept. When he was dragged back to the world of the conscious, however, the breakfast cart was coming around, so it must have been quite a few hours. He had to go to the bathroom, but Kurt was still asleep on his shoulder, and he did not want to jostle him. He debated waking him up, but he looked far too cute, with his eyes moving ever so slightly from dreams he could only speculate about, mouth slightly parted and chest rising and falling rhythmically. Blaine couldn't bring himself to disturb him. Plus, traveling was exhausting. Kurt deserved a rest.

By the time he'd finished his breakfast of mushroom omelette and fruit, however, his bladder was about to burst. He squirmed in his seat. David guessed what his dilemma was and smirked pointedly at him, still upset about the book-ripping from earlier.

"Hey, is he on Team Gay?"

Blaine looked over at Kurt abruptly. He had not realized he'd awoken. The brunette forced himself up off Blaine's shoulder, eyelids heavy with lingering sleep. His hair was sticking up from where it'd been pressed against Blaine's neck, and Blaine desperately wanted to play with it, but he knew if he brought attention to it Kurt would fly into a panic.

"Who?" he asked instead.

Kurt nodded with his chin. Blaine followed his line of sight to see one of the male flight attendants moving down the aisle, picking up breakfast trash. It only took him a moment to make his decision. The way he held his hands, the way his hair looked absolutely flawless (not as amazing at Kurt's, of course, but still noticeably attractive), and that giggle he sometimes gave weren't even necessary to confirm it.

"Oh, definitely." But then he noticed Kurt's small smile, and an unexpected wave of jealousy overtook him. "Why?"

"Huh?" Kurt returned his eyes to his boyfriend. He shrugged. "Oh, no reason. Just wondering. It's nice to see gays in normal life, with normal jobs and stuff..." He frowned into space. "Sorry...I'm not making any sense...Ignore me..."

Blaine chuckled. "It's alright. You're tired." He finally got up and went to the bathroom. He felt a little ashamed at his automatic response to Kurt's innocent question. It wasn't right of him to jump to conclusions like that. He couldn't help it, though; Kurt brought out this territorial side of him he never knew he had. It was an entirely undapper quality. He sincerely hoped it did not cause any trouble for him in the future.

…

The plane arrived at OGG, the Kahului airport, at one in the morning. Well, that was what it felt like for them, anyway. In local time, it was still only 7pm. They piled eagerly off the aircraft, relieved to be able to stretch their aching joints, and retrieved their luggage from the baggage claim.

"I hate flying," Kurt proclaimed.

Blaine laughed, a little tiredly. He felt like he hadn't actually gotten any shut eye on that entire flight. "No, I can't say it's my favorite way to travel, either. Next time we go somewhere, I'll have to take you on a train. I _love_ trains..."

Wes turned around at the head of the group and paused for a headcount. "Alright, my family friends are going to be driving us, so don't complain if it's a little cramped!" He led them to the sidewalk. The sun had just set, the sky in the west still tinted with a faint pink, and a brisk breeze danced an unceasing tango with the palm trees high above. It smelled fresh and distinctly beach-y. Kurt loved it. He knew he would enjoy it far more if he wasn't ladened down with bags and didn't feel so gross from the flight and could actually _see_ his surroundings.

Wes led them to three cars parked a little ways away. Two were minivans, one was a truck. They split up with little argument, too exhausted to fight over seats, mumbling their thanks to the drivers. Six went in each minivan, and the other four slipped into the truck. Every seat was filled. Kurt ended up in the window seat of the back row of the silver minivan, next to Blaine. He rested his head against the cool window. Blaine's arm found its way around his shoulders. The older Warbler leaned in towards his sleepy boyfriend and whispered in his ear with a little smile.

"Welcome to Hawaii, Kurt..."

…

**They have arrived at last! :D And things are going to ****_happen_**** here...Big things...Oh yesh...But before I forget: I wrote this on an airplane, and the guy sitting next to me's name was...wait for it...MULE. No joke. He's, like, my new best friend XD I kinda wanted to add him into the story, but they're all sitting together so I didn't have the option of giving Kurt or Blaine a weird seat partner. Shucks.**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	6. Chapter 6: First Night in Maui

**It was ****_hilarious_**** how people asked for an appearance from Mule! lol so I shall indeed grant that for you guys...But not in this chapter. In the next one. For now, just enjoy the-...well, you'll see ;D**

…

They arrived at the beach house a little after eight-thirty. The boys poured out of the vehicles. Blaine shook Kurt awake gently – he'd dozed off against the window about ten minutes into the drive – and together they stepped down onto the grassy front lawn. The path leading up to the door was lined with bushes, and the two-story building itself was framed by palm trees that swayed in the never-ending breeze. There was a porch running all around the first floor, equipped with swings and chairs and couches, and above it was a balcony facing out towards the ocean. It was too dark to make out much more about it.

They thanked their drivers profusely and lugged their bags inside.

"Alright, guys, here's the deal with sleeping quarters!" Wes spoke up. For some reason he was the only one who didn't look ready to keel over and pass out on the welcome mat then and there. That might have something to do with the three expressos he'd had at the airport. "There's four bedrooms. So not all of us are going to get a bed. But the couches fold out into make-shift cots, so don't worry, nobody's gonna have to sleep on the floor."

There was a heavy pause. Then, at once, there was an explosion of movement and noise. Bags hit the floor with heavy thuds and feet thundered up the stairs as Wes's fifteen guests darted around the house in search of the beds. Blaine managed to score a double for him and Kurt to share, much to the younger's delight.

"If I'd had to sleep on a fake-bed I would have had to kill someone," he muttered. Blaine laughed. It was a lucky pick – the bedroom was spacious and homey, with its own private bathroom and access to the balcony. Kurt automatically took over the free bathroom counter space, as well as the closet. Blaine was fine with that. He had not packed nearly as much as his boyfriend had. He could fit everything he brought into the bottom three drawers of the wardrobe without any trouble.

Many Warblers burst in without knocking within the next five minutes. "Aw, damn, taken..." They would then scurry off to see if there was still another free bed. Finally, Blaine locked the door to ward off any further intrusions. Kurt hurried through his nightly moisturizing routine and changed into pajamas before giving the bathroom up to Blaine, who took a significantly smaller amount of time. He then joined Kurt by the bed.

"So?" He slipped his arms around Kurt's waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. "What do you think so far?"

"I wouldn't know, I'm running on fumes right now," Kurt confessed with a smile, leaning his head back and melting into his embrace. "I promise I'll give you a proper answer in the morning when I can actually create comprehensible thoughts in my head."

Blaine chuckled. Kurt could feel his warm breath drift over his collar bone. His mind went even fuzzier. All he could think about was Blaine's presence, how close they were, how much he craved more contact...But he knew now was not the right time. He was beyond exhausted. Blaine seemed to be on the same wavelength. He kissed Kurt's shoulder and moved around to the other side of the bed. They both slipped under the covers, Kurt reaching over to turn off the lamp and leaving them with nothing but the moonlight streaming in through the glass door to the balcony to see by. Kurt instinctively moved closer to Blaine. The older boy's right arm rested over his hip, left acting as an extra pillow for both of their heads. Kurt's arms were curled up between their chests, fingers splayed artfully over the v-neck collar his boyfriend's pajama shirt. Their legs were intricately entwined.

"Good night, Kurt..." Blaine breathed, resting his lips against Kurt's forehead softly. Kurt let out a happy little moan of contentment and buried his head into the crook of Blaine's shoulder and neck.

"Sleep tight," the brunette sang in a whisper.

…

When Blaine awoke, he was in such a state of comfort that he vaguely wondered if he was on a cloud. But then, as his senses slowly returned to him, he realized that it was not a cloud – it was a bed, a bed with Kurt in it. _Way. Better._ The sun, thankfully, rose directly opposite from their sliding glass door, but it was still bright enough outside to let in ample light and illuminate the room. He grinned down at Kurt, who was fast asleep and looked as adorable as ever, with bed-head that somehow still managed to look intentional. He remembered the first time he'd seen it – during the Warblers' camping trip the month previous – and knew he'd never get tired of waking to it. _What if I got to wake up to Kurt every morning? That would be so amazing..._But his thoughts were getting way too far ahead of him. They were only Juniors in high school! Thoughts of marriage were most definitely too soon for them. Yet the hopeless romantic in him couldn't subdue them.

Moving slowly, ever so slowly, he managed to disentangle himself from his boyfriend without waking his sleeping counterpart and slip out of bed. Once he was up, he was _up_. There was no chance of falling back asleep now. He made his way over to the glass door. Unlocking it, he pushed it open, flinching when it squeaked. But Kurt did not stir. Blaine stepped out onto the balcony and leaned on the wooden railing, loving the feel of the refreshing wind played with his hair – broken from its cage of gel into its natural curls – and the sound of the waves washing over the shore not thirty feet away, and the smell of the salty ocean, and the breathtaking scenery around him. His memory had not done Hawaii justice; it was absolutely gorgeous.

He jumped a little when he felt arms slide around his waist a few minutes later. He had not heard Kurt's light footsteps over the rustle of the palm trees. They smiled at each other, but said nothing. There was no need to. And as they stood there, watching the waves crash and the flowers sway and absorbing the serenity of it all, Blaine realized it was not just his memory. It was Kurt. Whenever Kurt was around, everything was even more beautiful.

"I love it here." Kurt's voice was quiet and peaceful. He met Blaine's eyes with his own, irises a swirling mixture of blue and green and gray. "That's my answer from last night."

Blaine grinned. "I'd hoped you'd say that!" He took his hand and led him back inside. "But you haven't even begun to experience Hawaii...There's so much I want to show you, and do with you!"

Kurt raised a suggestive eyebrow. Blaine laughed and nudged him playfully. "Kurt! I'm being serious here!"

"So am I..." Those glasz orbs were smothering him. And suddenly he wasn't too sure Kurt was joking anymore. He didn't _want_ Kurt to be joking. Inappropriate thoughts of things he wanted to do with Kurt suddenly overwhelmed his conscious. He had to remind himself that they'd only been together for a month – _much_ too soon for such an intimate development. Unfortunately, his body was not listening to his brain. And Kurt was not helping in the least. In fact, he was only instigating further undapper thoughts by drawing closer, slipping his arms around Blaine's neck, pressing a kiss to his lips. It started out chaste and innocent enough. But that did not last long. The passion rose, the fire ignited, their hormones took over. Before they knew what had happened, they were on the bed, Blaine on top of Kurt, careful not to put all his weight on him but not thinking of much else. His mind was too distracted by the countertenor's hot mouth, how smooth his skin felt against his own. Kurt's fingers locked in his curls, pulling him still closer. Their tongues danced and their bodies pressed against each other out of desire, and it was obvious to each of them that they were not the only one enjoying themselves.

But somehow, Blaine managed to break away. Breathing hard, he grinned down at his model of a boyfriend. Somewhere in the farthest recesses of his mind, he knew they should stop before it got too out of hand. He knew if it went on like that for much longer he would not be able to control himself. "Kurt, I...We..."

Kurt smiled. His hands drifted from his hair to ghost over his cheeks, coming to rest on his chest. "I know, babe. I know..." He kissed him sweetly one last time. "Why don't we go get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Good plan." Blaine forced himself up and off of Kurt, pulling him off the bed with him. As Kurt headed for the bathroom, he echoed casually, "'Babe'?"

Kurt paused in the doorway. He glanced back at him, biting his lip and blushing. "Oh...S-Sorry! Do you hate that? Sorry, I won't say it again..."

"No, no, it's not that!" Blaine hurried to assure, chuckling. "It just seemed like something _I'd_ say, not you..."

"Would you prefer to go back to 'dear'?" Kurt teased.

"No, thanks, I'll pass," Blaine smirked. When they'd first started dating, 'dear' had been their thing. But it'd quickly died out due to incessant mocking from their friends (namely Wes and David). After that, they'd just sort of stuck with real names.

"Honey?"

He laughed. "Way too married-couple-y."

"Sweetheart?"

"Obnoxious teenage rom com."

"Sweety-pie?"

"Sure, just as soon as you bake me into a Blaine-dessert and serve me with a side of cheese."

"Darling?"

"Gold-digger."

"Blainey-boo?"

"_What_?"

He snapped his fingers. "Ooh, I got it! Hot stuff!"

Blaine snorted. "Hooker."

"Sugardrop?"

"Pedophile."

"Eye-candy!"

"Okay, now you're just making fun of this..."

Kurt giggled. "Yeah, I am," he confessed. He disappeared into the bathroom.

"I think I'll just stick with 'babe,' thanks," Blaine called through the door. He could hear him laughing from within and beamed. Kurt spent a good twenty minutes in there, and emerged with his regular, perfect hair, although he was still clad in his pajamas. Blaine chuckled. Usually he would have gelled his hair down, but they were in _Maui_, after all. He did not feel the need to tame down his dark curls here the way he did at Dalton. And besides, Kurt had mentioned more than once how he liked it when Blaine left his hair natural.

They headed downstairs. It was still fairly early – the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room read half past seven – and the Warblers sleeping on the makeshift beds were completely out of it. The sprawled limbs and twisted sheets made Kurt laugh, but he stifled it behind a hand in an attempt not to wake them. From the looks of it, ten guys, including themselves, had managed to score a real bed; the other six had been forced to sleep in the living room.

Kurt and Blaine tiptoed into the kitchen. "Is there any of that prize basket left?" Kurt whispered, pulling open the refrigerator.

"No, not after Jeff and Trent got to it..." Blaine answered apologetically.

"Oh don't worry about it. None of that was really breakfast food, anyway." Kurt blinked and frowned. "Okay, Blaine, maybe I'm just more tired than I realized but...do you see anything edible in there?"

Bemused, Blaine moved closer. His eyes scoured the shelves. Sure enough, it was practically bare apart from a few non-spoilable things near the bottom. "No, it's not just you." He quickly moved around the kitchen, opening up cupboards and pantries and finding nothing but dishes and silverware. "There's no food in this house! I guess that makes sense...They wouldn't want to leave food in the house to rot when they're not here."

"So we're going to starve?" Kurt pouted.

"Nope!" Blaine beamed. "That means we get to go _out_ for breakfast!"

…

**Oop. I teased you guys ****_twice_**** in one chapter! At least I didn't leave you with a cliffhanger, right? ;D**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	7. Chapter 7: Mule's

**This is Mule's debut! XD**

…

Blaine wasted no time in waking up his host.

"Wes! Wes, come on, get up!" He literally bounced onto the foot of Wes's bed. The Asian-American groaned heavily and flapped a hand in the general direction of the noise in a pathetic attempt to turn off the human alarm clock. Across the room, where David had claimed a bed, the dark-skinned boy snored on, unperturbed.

"I'm gonna kill you..." Wes muttered into his pillow.

"No you're not!" Blaine yanked the pillow from under his head, much to the older boy's disgruntlement. "Now come on! The sun's up! It's time for breakfast, and there's nothing in your kitchen."

Kurt sympathized with Wes. He'd been subjected to Blaine's perky mornings before. Not being a morning kind of guy himself, his heart went out to the half-conscious boy. He put a calming hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and chuckled. "Down, Blaine! Breathe. It's vacation, we don't all have to get up insanely early for school or anything."

"It's not vacation," Wes couldn't help but correct. "It's a promotional tour for the Warblers..." Blaine cheered in triumph; he was up! Wes groaned once more and reluctantly propped himself up with his elbows, cracking open his eyes as if he expected them to be glowing with blinding neon rainbow colors. "Alright, alright, fine. Breakfast it is. Go wake everyone up."

"On it!" Blaine wasted no time in tossing Wes's abducted pillow at David – earning a snorted grunt and a death glare – and grabbing Kurt's wrist to run out of the room and into the next one. This bedroom had two bunk beds, playing host to four of the Warblers. Blaine flipped on the overhead lights, even though the large windows were doing a fine job of illuminating the room as it was. "Up, up, up! Whoever wants food better get out of bed!"

"Where do you get all this energy?" Kurt wondered in awe, following him as he continued on to the last bedroom, leaving behind four very murderous male singers. He was also curious as to how Blaine had managed to survive Warbler outings such as this without being throttled for his morning pep. Although, to be fair, he was not _always_ like this. For the most part he was the typical, sleepy teen. It was only on sporadic occasions that he turned into such a 'morning person.'

Blaine shrugged. "We're in Hawaii, Kurt, _Hawaii_! I'm in one of the most stunning places in the entire world with the most stunning boyfriend I could have ever dreamt of. You can't blame me for being happy!"

Kurt laughed and hooked their elbows. "Never _blame_, Blaine, no! Never blame...But I am a little worried that the rest of the guys are just about ready to suffocate you with a pillow if you don't tone down the energy. At least until they've gotten some food in their system..." And then, as if on queue, his stomach felt it was the perfect time to rumble. His hand flew to his midriff. Blaine burst into laughter at his astonished, abashed expression.

"I think you're the one we really need to get some food into." He kissed him.

Out of nowhere, Wes appeared behind them. "Come on, man, I _just_ woke up!" he faux-complained, rubbing his eyes of sleep and shuffling between them toward the staircase. "I'll wake up the guys downstairs. If you did it they'd probably throw things at you..."

The couple chuckled and agreed. Kurt took over the task of waking the last two Warblers on the top floor, Ethan and Marcus, after which they headed back downstairs. Wes had coaxed them all into consciousness. There was a bit of tussling over the use of the bathrooms. Kurt thanked whoever might be listening to his thoughts that he and Blaine got their own private one.

Ten minutes later found the sixteen boys shuffling down the street as one entity, Kurt sticking out like a sore thumb as the only one not in pajamas and the only one without bed-head. He'd downright refused to go outside in his silk bottoms and Blaine's t-shirt (which was what he'd been wearing to bed for a while now), as modest and comfortable as they may have been. So while the rest of the Warblers were fighting over turns for the bathroom, he'd run upstairs and changed into a pair of grey skinny jeans, hugging blue tee with a swirling leaves-and-branches design, and a white jean jacket with sleeves that only went to his elbows. Blaine had stuck with his Dalton Academy sweatpants and baggy old black t-shirt. But he still looked incredible in Kurt's eyes.

After a short walk, they arrived at a cute little café called Mule's. Wes pulled open the door and led the way inside. There were not many other customers, which was probably due to the fact that it was eight in the morning on a Saturday. There was just a few elderly couples near the back, as well as a family or two with young children.

"Wesley!"

The gruff call came from the doorway to the kitchen. A middle-aged man strode towards them cheerfully, muscular arms spread wide in preparation for a hug. He had a crew cut of golden hair and a short scruffy beard, but friendly, beady blue eyes. He swept Wes up in a bone-crushing hug.

"It's so good to see you again!" he continued, setting a back-cracked Wes down on his feet again. "These the Warblers you been talkin' 'bout?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Thank your wife again for helping drive us over last night..."

"I'll do that," he assured, clapping him on the shoulder with such force the boy nearly lost his footing. "You'll be wanting a table outside, I assume?" He was already heading for the double-doors leading out onto the patio.

"You know me too well," Wes chuckled. The group shuffled after them. Wes turned back to them and explained, "This is Mule. He's one of my family's friends here. This is his café; he built it from the ground up, right out of college. My parents and I eat here every time we come-"

"Wait, wait," Jeff interrupted. "_What's_ his name?"

"Mule. Mule Armstrong."

There was a pause. But then Trent snorted, and that set all of them off. Luckily, the restaurant owner had not heard what they found so funny. He just beamed at them and continued to rearrange the tables so they could all sit together. Kurt noticed a tattoo on his right bicep – the traditional biker 'Mama' heart. He had to turn away and hide behind Blaine to keep from anyone seeing him struggling to hold in a snort of laughter. When Mule was finished, everybody found a seat and settled down with their menus. Kurt quickly held his up in front of his face and snickered into his empty plate.

"What's so funny?" Blaine asked, leaning in to whisper behind Kurt's menu with him.

"Did you see that tattoo?" Kurt wheezed.

Blaine rolled his eyes with faux-exasperation. "Oh come on Kurt, maybe he just really loves his mother!" But this set them both off again. They quickly calmed down when they noticed Mule drawing closer, however, on his steady way around the table, taking their drink orders.

"And what can I get you two?" he asked, pen poised at the ready.

"I'll just have water, thanks," Kurt smiled.

"Oh no, no, no!" Wes rejected at once from across the table. "You're in _Maui_, Kurt! Be adventurous!" This instruction was backed up by many of the surrounding teenagers.

Blaine quickly skimmed the beverage section of the menu. One of them caught his eye and he smirked. "Could we both have the Tropical Volcano?"

"Oh, great choice!" Mule approved, moving on. Blaine, and a few other Warblers, burst into fresh laughter at Kurt's scandalized expression. The brunette folded his arms and pouted. Blaine erased it easily with a soft, chaste kiss.

…

Breakfast flew by, filled with laughter and chatter and delicious food. The Tropical Volcano Blaine had ordered for himself and Kurt turned out to be the table's favorite, and Mule ended up giving them all an extra round free of charge. The weather was a great source of entertainment; one minute it would be sunny and fairly calm, and not five minutes later the wind will have kicked up and a gentle pattering of rain would sweep down the street. It was never chilly enough to send them indoors, though. Besides, they enjoyed the bipolar patterns and the sound of the drizzle on the flora surrounding the café's patio.

"Do you know what we're going to be doing today?" Kurt asked Blaine, taking another long sip of his Tropical Volcano. He was beginning to think there might be an addictive ingredient in the beverage. There was no way a normal fruit smoothie could be _that_ delicious.

"Not a clue," Blaine answered honestly. "I'd love to go swimming, of course, but I don't know if we have a performance or-"

"I have a very important question for you two!"

Wes was suddenly right there behind them, slinging his arms around each of them and making Blaine choke on a forkful of his loco moco. He did not seem to mind the fact that he'd just completely interrupted their conversation.

"Yes, that shirt clashes horribly with those pants," Kurt deadpanned without even looking up at him. He calmly took along slurp of his drink, amidst numerous snickers from the surrounding Warblers, including a dying Blaine. Seeing that the older boy was out of Tropical Volcano, Kurt offered his boyfriend his own. The raven-haired singer took the glass gratefully and tried to soothe his clogged throat. Wes pouted at them both.

"Well that's no way to treat your host!"

This reminder made Kurt focus on him at last. He knew he should be more grateful for this opportunity that had been given to him. "I'm sorry. What did you want from us?"

"We'll be performing at a local restaurant tonight, but the morning and afternoon is ours to do with as we wish! So, my important question: Would you guys rather go to the beach directly outside the house, or take a ten minute walk or so and go to the public beach?"

It was a silly question. "Directly outside the house," they both answered in synchrony.

This was the vast majority of answers he got. After having Mule put the meal on his parents' bill, Wes led the group back to the house and they wasted no time in getting ready to hit the beach. The powerful odor of sunscreen filled the building, bare-chested boys ran around fighting over bathrooms, and more than a few towels were whipped at friends. Excitement ran high amongst the group. Living in Ohio, it was not very often they got to go to the beach. Kurt, himself, had only gone two or three times his whole life. He couldn't wait.

And, of course, it didn't hurt that it was a perfect excuse to see his boyfriend go shirtless.

…

**If you've never had loco moco before, you might want to. I can't, because I'm vegetarian, but my parents tell me it's surprisingly good! It's a traditional Hawaiian breakfast dish of a bowl of rice topped with hamburger and fried egg, if memory serves me correctly. I know, it sounds gross, but try it out! It might surprise you...**

**I APOLOGIZE TO ANY AND ALL READERS THAT HAVE THAT MOTHER TATTOO! I have absolutely ****_nothing_**** against tattoos! That's just legit what he had, and at the time it totally cracked me up. Sitting next to this hulk of a man with tattoos and a name like Mule just ****_killed_**** me XD I wish I had talked to him...**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	8. Chapter 8: Beach Boy

**Ripple is back. Oh yesh. Bring out the confetti and the firecrackers.**

…

The boys made their way down to the beach. It was fairly empty apart from themselves; only residents of the houses on that strip were allowed to use it. The sand was warm between Kurt's toes. He reveled in the smell of the salt water, the feel of the breeze, the sound of the waves. This was heaven.

And it only helped that he was there with Blaine, his own personal angel.

Kurt found a nice patch of shade beneath a palm tree and set out his towel. Blaine followed suit right next to him. The brunette was internally thankful he'd thought to wear his Gucci sunglasses; it hid the fact that he was ogling his boyfriend's toned chest.

"Do you want me to sunscreen your back?" the older Warbler offered.

Kurt blushed and hoped he did not notice. "Yeah, thanks, that'd be great!" He handed the bottle over and laid himself down on his towel. He could feel his heartbeat racing as Blaine knelt beside him and squirted some sunscreen into his palm. It was cold against his skin. Blaine rubbed the lotion over his bare back, and Kurt had to hold in a groan of contentment. He had never known what a masseuse his boyfriend was.

"That feels amazing," he murmured.

Blaine chuckled and continued his massage.

"Are you going to go in?" Kurt asked once the dark-haired Warbler was finished (taking longer than was probably necessary in order to extend the contact he had with his boyfriend). Kurt stood and nodded towards the water, in which almost all of the other Warblers were already fooling around.

Blaine hesitated, then quickly masked his unease with a smile. "Only if you're going in with me."

It was Kurt's turn to laugh. "Of course," he promised, locking his arms around his boyfriend's neck. "I'll be with you every step of the way." Blaine grinned and leaned in for a kiss. That had been exactly what he wanted to hear. Not just concerning the ocean, either, but for their future together, too. He wanted Kurt to remain by his side for always. Even if it seemed like an unrealistic goal for two boys still in high school.

They made their way hand-in-hand down to the water. The waves were only a few feet tall – nothing too bad. Kurt stepped in first, marveling at how warm it was compared to the Great Lakes he sometimes visited with his father. He glanced back to see how Blaine was handling it. They had gone swimming in the Anderson pool multiple times in the previous week, it was true, but that was entirely different from an _ocean_. Blaine seemed alright, though. He smiled nervously at Kurt and waded still deeper, his grip on Kurt's hand almost painful.

The Warblers welcomed them. The couple stayed on the shallower end of the group, for Blaine's sake, and enjoyed the laughing, flailing, splashing chaos that was their friends. Jeff and Nick got into an intense splash-fight, and Trent and Ethan were judges for David, Wes, and Thad's diving competition. Poor little Marcus was struggling to stay afloat with the rest of them. He kept getting swept back towards the shore.

"How are you doing?" Kurt inquired of Blaine, leaning close to whisper in his ear. Blaine grinned and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. In the next swell, Kurt lifted his legs with ease and hooked them around his boyfriend's hips. The daring move made both of them beam. "I'm _fine_, Kurt, you don't have to worry about me. You conquered my fear, remember? My brave, handsome knight..." He rested his forehead against Kurt's and added in a murmur, "Not that I wouldn't mind getting CPR from you."

Kurt rolled his eyes but could not help the smile that spread across his face. "You're _awful_, Blaine Anderson!"

"I think you mean _amazing_," he winked.

"Mmh..." Kurt's lips found themselves pressed against Blaine's. All of a sudden, he lost all will to argue. "You're right, I meant amazing." A new wave came baring down, and Jeff flung himself into it right next to them, showering them in spray. They laughed it off and released one another, simply enjoying their time with each other and their friends without a worry in the world for what was to come.

…

After about an hour, the waves began to grow bigger. This pleased most of the Warblers – apart from Marcus, who was already struggling to stay afloat as it was – but it made Blaine anxious. Kurt noticed this and quickly insisted that he was tired and that they should take a break. Blaine smiled gratefully and joined him on the shore.

"I need to go to the bathroom. Do you need anything from the house?" the dark-haired teen offered.

"A coke would be nice," Kurt mused. "Oh, no, wait, I forgot, there's nothing in the kitchen. Never mind."

"I think there's a vending machine a little ways down that way. I'll see what I can find. Be back in a flash!" He kissed the younger boy's damp forehead and headed off.

…

He found the vending machines with ease. To his relief, there was an entire one dedicated to Coca-Cola. He bought a bottle and then turned to make his way back to Kurt's side. He could already see his boyfriend, pale skin blending in with the sand but standing out against the vibrant colors of his towel, eyes hidden behind dark shades. He could not tell if his eyes were open or closed behind those sunglasses. Before he could take more than a few steps, however, a cry of "heads up!" alerted him to an incoming projectile. He caught the ball instinctively, dropping the bottle to the sand in the process.

A young man came jogging up, probably around Blaine's age, slightly out of breath. "Hey, sorry about that, man. Totally my bad."

"Don't worry about it." Blaine tossed the beach ball back to him before picking up the plastic bottle and wiping the sand off on his swim trunks. Normally he would have not minded the sand, but it was for Kurt, and he knew how picky he was about the cleanliness of his food and drinks.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the stranger guessed. Blaine glanced up at him. Now that he got a good look at him, he could not deny that the boy was very attractive. Not as attractive as Kurt, of course, but attractive nonetheless in that laid-back-surfer kind of way. He had short black hair, a well-toned chest, and golden skin that indicated a childhood in the sun. His eyes were as gray as rainclouds, and the smile he was giving Blaine was dazzlingly white. The curly-haired singer would not be surprised if he spotted him in the next issue of one of Kurt's many fashion magazines.

"No, I'm just visiting," he confirmed.

"Thought so," Beach Boy nodded proudly, tucking the beach ball beneath one arm to rest against his hip and flicking his bangs away from his eyes. He looked like a shampoo model in doing so. "Who you staying with, then? You must be a guest in one of these houses, in order to be here now..."

He gestured towards Wes's house. "Yeah, we're staying with our friend Wes for a few days. It's sort of a field trip for us."

"Wes?" the other teen echoed happily. "Oh man, I know him! We always got along really well. But I'm assuming the whole school isn't packed into his house, right?"

Blaine laughed at the mental image that gave him. "No, no, definitely not. Just the show choir."

"Show choir?" he repeated, surprised but clearly interested. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "That's so cool! You should definitely come do a show for my family's party tomorrow. All the local bands are coming. It'd be cool to have a group all the way from...Where was it? Ohio? Iowa?"

"Ohio," Blaine confirmed. "I'll talk to Wes about it. He's the one who's in charge of the schedule."

"Great! When you know, come find me. If I'm not out here, I'll be in there." He gestured towards a house three doors to right of where they were currently residing.

"I'll do that," Blaine nodded.

Beach Boy grinned and put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Blaine glanced down at it and wondered for the first time if this guy was gay. Or knew that _he_ was gay. "Thanks, man. See you later, then!" He began to head back to his friends, who were waiting impatiently for the return of the ball. Just as Blaine turned to return to his boyfriend, the black-haired stranger glanced back and added, " Hey, what's your name, by the way?"

Blaine paused and smiled. He had not even realized that they never introduced themselves. It was not like him to pass by such basic manners. "Blaine. Blaine Anderson. And yours?"

That blinding grin returned. "Roy. Roy Hill. Don't worry, though, I'm not a prince or anything!" And with that, he winked and ran off. Blaine stared after him for a moment, baffled. It took him a second, but he finally got it. _Roy Hill. Royal._ And he laughed halfway back to the Warblers.

…

Kurt was still dumbstruck by what he had just seen. If he had not known better, he could have sworn Blaine was flirting with that boy. He had never seemed like that type of guy, yet there he was, chatting up a total stranger. A total stranger that was definitely gay. Gay and interested in Blaine. _His_ boyfriend.

"Who was that?" he asked casually. Blaine sat down beside him on his towel and handed him the bottle of coke he had asked for. He cracked open the top with perhaps a bit of excessive force and took a long drink. The bubbles only proved to further the discontent in his heart.

"Hmm?" Blaine glanced back at the dark-haired hottie. "Oh, his name's Roy. He lives a few houses down from us. He's really nice!"

"You two seemed to be getting along," Kurt hinted.

Blaine noted the artificially light tone. His smile faltered. "Um, yeah, I guess? He was a cool guy. He suggested that the Warblers come do a performance tomorrow at his place. His parents are throwing a party of some sort. Sounds like fun!"

Kurt's eyebrows rose. "Oh? How...thoughtful of him to invite us."

Blaine watched him take another sip of his soda. "Kurt? What's up? Did something happen?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Kurt had not meant for it to come out quite so snappy. He immediately regretted it when he saw Blaine's face fall. He had not intended to hurt him. He had just been frustrated.

"Kurt...You don't-...You're not _jealous_ of _Roy_, are you?"

The brunette pursed his lips and looked down at his lap guiltily. It was more than enough of an answer.

Blaine frowned. "Kurt...Do you really not trust me at all?" He shook his head in disbelief. "_You're_ my boyfriend, Kurt. You! I'm crazy about you, remember? I thought you understood that. There's no way a stranger could change my mind – or my heart – so easily. I don't even _know_ the guy!"

Kurt sighed and curled into Blaine's chest, relieved when those strong, familiar arms once again wound around him. He always felt better in Blaine's embrace. The world made more sense from here. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me. Seeing you with him...It just made me mad. I don't want to worry about competition while we're here. Or ever. Forgive me?"

Blaine beamed down at him and kissed his forehead. "Always." They kissed again, properly, before Ethan, Jeff, Nick, and Trent came over and flopped down on their own towels nearby, effectively ruining their semi-privacy. None of others had any indication that anything was off about the couple. And although they sat shoulder-to-shoulder and kissed and laughed together, there was that hint of suspicion that had now taken root in Kurt's heart. Just how strong _was_ their relationship?

…

**Loverly. Now I should really go do some homework. Like, really.**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	9. Chapter 9: Repayment

**It's sort of incredible/eerie how accurate ****ChroniclesofNarniaGoTandSJA**** was in her prediction of what might happen in the future. YES, ETHAN IS GOING TO BE PART OF THE PLOTLINE! Just so you guys all know. Read on! This chapter is just a little treat for us Klainers ;)**

…

"Hey there, Eye-candy!" Kurt's arms crept around his shoulders from behind and slipped down his chest. He emphasized this new nickname by sucking gently on that sensitive part of his neck that always made Blaine dizzy. The older singer was extremely glad he was already seated, because his legs felt like jelly at the moment.

"I thought we'd agreed to just stick with 'babe'?" His voice was quiet, a mere whisper. "Not that I mind."

"Mmh, it just slipped out," Kurt purred, lips tickling his throat. Blaine's breathing hitched. He arose from their room's desk chair and turned to face his boyfriend, a playful smile spreading across his face. He loved the way the moonlight streaming in through the glass doors fell across Kurt's face, illuminating his porcelain skin.

"Care to take a walk on the beach with me?" he invited, fingers playing at Kurt's waist. "It's _so_ nice outside right now..."

Kurt hummed appreciatively. "That sounds absolutely wonderful."

They each grabbed a light jacket and tip-toed out of their room and down the stairs. It was nearing midnight, and the other Warblers were all either unconscious or still at the party. They had done a performance that evening at one of Wes's family friends' restaurants, which had gone off without a hitch and had raised quite a bit of donation money and support by the locals that had attended. Some of the boys had stayed behind after they had finished, chatting with the other attendees and having a laugh. Others, Kurt and Blaine included, returned straight home and retired to their respective sleeping quarters.

The couple escaped to the beach without being noticed. The sand was colder, now that night had fallen. They tread lightly with bare feet, eyes cast downwards to make sure they did not step on anything hidden by the relative darkness of the hour. The black skies above were freckled with stars, the near-full moon shining down upon them brilliantly, illuminating their way. They stopped just short of the waves and turned to wander northwards. The night was quiet, apart from the whispering of the palms and the rhythmic rushing of the water upon the shore.

"So, how are you liking Maui so far?" Blaine inquired softly. There was no need to raise his voice, since Kurt was right there next to him, and there was nobody else around to speak over. It was nice to have this time to themselves.

The brunette squeezed his hand and smiled. "I love it here, Blaine. It's all so incredible."

He returned the smile. "Then I'll make sure to bring you back here someday! Maybe not to Maui specifically, though, maybe one of the other islands..."

But Kurt slowed his pace, his grin fading. "Blaine..." He glanced to his boyfriend sadly. The older boy quickly noticed his melancholic tone and stopped as well. His eyebrows drew together worriedly. "I haven't even paid you back for _this_ trip yet!" He knew the Andersons had significantly more money than his family – he had been to their mansion of a house on multiple occasions now, after all, and had thus witnessed first-hand just how luxuriously they lived – but he did not like being in such a one-sided relationship, where all Blaine did was give and all Kurt did was take.

Blaine seemed to understand his concern. "Babe, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't mind buying you things. I _want_ to buy you things! I want to make you happy. I want to put my money to good use, and seeing you smile and spending more time with you is _always_ a good use in my book."

The sincerity in his voice and eyes left the countertenor momentarily speechless. He honestly could not believe how lucky he was to have someone as kind and generous and selfless as Blaine. He obviously must have saved the world from utter annihilation in a previous life to have scored such a perfect boyfriend.

"I just wish there was a way to repay you for everything you've done for me," he mourned. He drew closer; the night was quickly growing colder, and he sought the warmth emanating from his boyfriend. Blaine encased him in his embrace and rubbed his arms a few times to fight off the chill.

"There's absolutely no need for repayment," he insisted firmly. "Having you with me, to call my own, is more than enough already."

Kurt giggled and leaned in for a kiss. Blaine immediately lost all conception of reality. The ocean, the sand, the trees, the flowers, the moon, it all melted away, leaving only him and the love of his life. Their lips met and it was like their first kiss all over again – tentative, tender, sweet, but overflowing with emotion. It was all-telling. They could express themselves through simple touches – the caress of the back of a hand, the warm whispers against skin – without ever needing to bother with words. That was how close they had become over the past few months. And that was how they would stay if he had any say in the matter.

And suddenly, Kurt knew how he could pay Blaine back.

"You know," he murmured between brief, teasingly chaste kisses along his jaw. "I can think of _one_ way I might be able to return the favor..."

Blaine's breath caught. _Is he saying what I think he's saying?_ He hardly dared let himself hope. It would be too good to be true. "Oh yeah?" Another kiss, this one on the lips again. "And what might that be?"

"Something I know you want," Kurt hinted. He drew still closer, pressed against the older teenager suggestively, fingers playing with his dark curls. "Something that will give me to you even more than I am now...If you want me..."

"Oh god do I want you," Blaine assured breathlessly. _He is! He's really offering! This is really happening!_ His thoughts were loud and jumbled. He struggled to control his racing heartbeat; he had waited for this moment for what felt like forever. He knew he was ready. He'd been ready the moment Kurt kissed him for the first time, that afternoon by the lake, after he had saved him from drowning.

But he did not want them to do it unless they were _both_ ready. "Are you _sure_?" he pressed, placing his hands seriously on Kurt's shoulders, struggling to keep his more hormonal side from taking over. "I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for...There's no pressure. You don't have to do this."

Kurt sighed, smiling gently, warmly. His fingers continued to entwine themselves through his curls. His gaze was even and steady, even though his voice was quiet and almost shy. "I'm ready, Blaine..." And he was. He wanted Blaine. He wanted him in a way he never thought he'd ever want anybody. He wanted to give himself to this young man in every way possible. The time was right; he could feel it.

The two lovestruck teenagers ran back to the house, snuck up the stairs, and locked the bedroom door behind them, not to emerge for the rest of the night.

…

**Basically no plot development, but I doubt many of you are disappointed ;) Next chapter returns to the regular shenanigans.**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	10. Chapter 10: Melting Irises

**Wow, long delay, much? Sorry...End of the school year havoc. Oh, wait, what's that? You, with a spear and three buckets of acid, demanding I shut up and just get on with it? Well alright.**

…

Blaine had never felt so refreshed and at peace with the world. If it weren't for the pleasurable soreness, he could have convinced himself that it had all just been a dream. A wonderful, wonderful dream. But it hadn't been. The evidence was in the tousle-haired boy asleep in his arms, and their lack of apparel, and the way their sheets were tangled about their legs. He felt a grin spread across his face at how peaceful Kurt looked. It was so different from his expression the night before. Not that _that_ expression hadn't been equally enjoyable, of course.

At the memory, his smile widened. It had been...indescribable. But in a good way. He had never felt so connected to Kurt before. Never felt so connected with _anyone_ before. Not by a long shot. They had been united as one entity, one hot, passionate entity. They'd given themselves to the other completely and utterly. He could not believe how much he loved this boy, how lucky he was to have him, how wonderful he made him feel. He never would have thought he could have fallen so hard for somebody like this. It was spectacular, otherworldly. He never wanted to let Kurt go. And hopefully, he never would.

Kurt stirred in his arms. Blaine leaned forward and pressed gentle lips to his forehead. The brunette gave a tiny moan, still half-unconscious. Blaine placed butterfly kisses on his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, his lips, until finally, the younger man awoke.

"Morning, beautiful," Blaine whispered.

Kurt emitted incomprehensible mumblings, beaming sleepily up at him, and stretched like a cat. "I feel _amazing._" His arms slithered around his boyfriend's bare waist. "And you? How're you feeling?"

Blaine answered with a kiss. "Incredible. _You're_ incredible."

Kurt chuckled a little and buried his head against the older boy's chest, soaking up his warmth and smell. He could feel the older Warbler rest his chin on the top of his brown locks. He did not even care that Blaine saw his bed-head anymore. Last night had permanently altered his self-consciousness. Now that Blaine had seen him naked, he really didn't mind that he saw his messy hair as well, especially considering it was mostly Blaine's fault in the first place.

_Wow_, he mused to himself. _Blaine saw me naked...Nobody's ever seen me naked before! I thought I'd be more uncomfortable with it. But it just felt so right, with him...I can't believe we really did it. We really made love to each other._ The memory sent shivers of pleasure through his body. Blaine pulled him closer, worried he was cold.

"Do you want to put some clothes on?" Blaine offered, even though secretly he thought he might die if he had to release him.

Kurt shook his head, arms tightening, fingernails tracing patterns on Blaine's lower back. "No, that would involve getting up. And I'm _definitely_ not ready to face the real world again yet."

"But we'll face it together."

And the truth of that kept them in bed together, arms wrapped around one another, for another half hour, simply soaking up each other's presence and floating on the ecstasy of the previous night's memories. It was something they could never forget. It was the best night of their lives.

…

Around nine, there came a banging on their door.

"Blaine! Kurt! Get up!" Jeff called. "We're going to breakfast!"

Blaine sat up. Kurt held in a squeak of surprise; in the heat of the night, he had completely forgotten that they were not alone in the house, and was extremely thankful that Blaine had locked the door. He probably would have died of embarrassment if one of the Warblers had burst in on them. Luckily, they were all pretty heavy sleepers; he was not too worried that they'd been overheard.

"We'll be there in a minute!" Blaine called.

"Why did you lock the door?" Jeff demanded grumpily. No doubt he was not used to being barricaded from a room. Until then, Warblers had walked in and out of rooms as they pleased, never mind if it was their own sleeping quarters or not. Locked doors had been a nonentity, excluding the obvious exception of the bathroom.

Blaine paused, glancing at the speechless Kurt. "Jeff, just go downstairs and wait. We'll be there soon."

And then Jeff put two and two together. "Oh...OH! Oh...Okay." And they heard him scamper off hurriedly, no doubt blushing like mad. Blaine couldn't help but laugh. Kurt looked at him like he was crazy, clutching the blankets to his chin.

"And _what_, pray tell, is so amusing, Blaine Anderson?" he pressed.

Blaine laid back down beside him. "Nothing, babe, nothing." He kissed the countertenor's cheek and added, "We should get up before somebody else tries to come in."

Kurt groaned a little, but agreed. Blaine got out of bed first, and Kurt couldn't help but follow him with his eyes as he moved – in all his exposed, god-like beauty – to the wardrobe in order to find a clean outfit. _How can one human be so gorgeous? It doesn't seem fair..._After a moment, Kurt got up as well, opting instead for the closet, where the majority of his attire was hanging. He could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him, just as his were a second ago, and did his best to feign obliviousness.

"You're beautiful..." Blaine breathed.

Kurt glanced over his shoulder at him and smiled lovingly. "Only for you." Then he turned back to his option of shirts and added teasingly, "Get a good look now, because you're not going to see it again for a while."

"Why not?" Blaine pouted.

Kurt laughed at his disappointment as he slipped on a pair of briefs and black skinny jeans. "Blaine, don't think that now we've slept together I'm going to give it up to you _every night!_ It'd loose its magic!"

But instead of being upset, Blaine smirked. Freshly clad in hugging beige pants and a turquoise polo, he drew closer and locked his arms around Kurt's still-bare waist, loving the feel of his smooth, pale skin. "So...You thought it was magical?"

Kurt blushed and playfully slapped him away. "Well, didn't you?"

And at that, Blaine grew serious once more. "Of course I did." He captured Kurt in another kiss, deeper than before. Kurt's back met the closet door, and it rattled a bit in its frame. They were pressed up against each other from head to toe. "There should never be any doubt in your mind about that." His hazel eyes drowned in a sea of blue and green. It was a war of melting irises.

"Guys! Hurry up, I'm starving!"

They leapt apart at the pounding on the door.

"Give us a second!" Blaine shouted back, a little irritated at them for ruining the moment. _Again_. Kurt quickly tugged on his navy blue tee, cheeks flushed, and dashed into the bathroom to fix up his hair as best he could. Blaine simply ran his fingers through his curls to work out the worst of the knots. He then threw the sheets back up in a semi-made fashion and opened the door at last to the never-ending knocking.

"You guys are _so_ impatient!" he sighed.

Wes and David stood in the doorway, arms folded, glaring. "What is _taking_ so long?" the shorter one demanded. "Yesterday you two were the first ones up!"

_Yesterday, I was still a virgin_, Blaine couldn't help but retort in his mind. But he knew better than to talk about his sex life with these two. They would hold it over his head for the rest of eternity. So instead he rolled his eyes and said, "We just got a late start, is all."

Jeff came up behind them and, realizing what was going on, quickly swooped in to help. "Wes, David, come on, let them be," he urged, laughed a little awkwardly. He grabbed their shoulders and shoved them both towards the stairwell, winking subtly at Blaine from behind their backs. "They're almost ready. Five more minutes won't kill us."

"Thank you," Blaine mouthed after him. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Kurt emerged from the bathroom. "I don't think I've ever gone out with this little preparation," he mused worriedly. "I didn't even have time for my moisturizing! Do you know what that could do to my skin?"

Blaine laughed and wrapped an arm around his thin waist, where it belonged. They headed out the door and down the hall towards the awaiting Warblers downstairs. "Don't worry, you still look incredible."

And for once, Kurt actually believed him.

…

**No, before you ask, I will not write that missing scene ;) I'd like to keep the rating at T, thank you very much.**

**OH. BEE TEE DUBS. Went to a Glee Live concert on Saturday! :D Have any of you guys gone? Aren't they ****_incredible_****? Darren Criss is, like, inhumanly handsome...And Chris Colfer has such a mind-blowing voice! I teared up when he sang 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' ;)**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	11. Chapter 11: Riding

**Wow. Talk about your ignored fanfics :( I am SO sorry! I've been so focused on 'Puppy Love' that I completely forgot about my other WIPs...Shame on me! Favoritism isn't nice. (unless ****_I'm_**** your favorite, in which case it's totally fine ;D) So if you don't hate me with a fiery passion for letting this fic gather dust for so long, then please enjoy!**

…

A ten minute walk down the street led them to an ice cream parlor named Frigid.

"He's kidding, right?" Kurt deadpanned, a skeptical eyebrow raised, arms crossed. Blaine chuckled at his look of utter disapproval, knowing full-well Kurt's calorie standards. "There's no way I'm having ice cream for breakfast."

Wes, who overheard his complaint, turned to him with an amused smirk. "Don't worry, we're not. The two women who own this shop are family friends – we're having breakfast with them."

Slightly reassured, Kurt allowed Blaine to wrap his arm around his waist and guide them through the door. It was cold inside – no doubt to keep the ice cream from melting – and he shivered involuntarily. Blaine's hold on him tightened. As soon as all the Warblers were inside and the door swung shut, there was a clatter from the back and a woman's voice calling, "Rose, is that the boys?"

The door banged open with surprising force, making many of them jump. An elderly woman stood there, probably well into her seventies, with wispy gray hair, tan but wrinkled skin, and soft green eyes. She was short, with a bony structure that make her look very fragile. The moment she saw them all standing around, she broke into a wide, toothy smile and called back, "It's them alright!" Then, spotting Wes, she shuffled forwards and opened her arms wide for a hug. "Come here, young man, and give ol' Rosey a hug!"

Wes did as she asked with a laugh. "It's good to see you again! How've you been?"

"Wonderful, wonderful," she beamed. She turned her attention to the others. "Come on back, then! Neska's just finishing up the pancakes..."

The moment pancakes were mentioned, the group immediately perked up, suddenly very awake and very ready to eat. Rose led them down a short hallway and through what appeared to be a living room, veering left into the dining room. It was a squish to fit all of the boys at the same long table, but somehow they managed. As they settled into their chairs, Wes was introducing each of them to Rose, who was tittering at her own bad memory.

Another woman appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen. Kurt had to do a double-take. She was absolutely identical to Rose, right down to the thin gray bun atop her head and modest blue dress. The only difference was that she wore a white frilly apron over her dress, and she was carrying an overflowing plate of pancakes.

"This is Ms. Neska," Wes introduced for the table. They were hardly paying attention, though – the woman had just placed the plate down, and there was a mad grab at it. "Hey!" he reprimanded.

"Don't worry about it," Rose laughed. She followed Neska into the kitchen, and they both returned with more plates of pancakes. "There's plenty to go around!"

…

Neska and Rose were twins that ran the ice cream parlor they'd inherited from their parents together. On the side, however, they were also highly-respected hula teachers, who preached the expression of emotion through dance and rhythm. As an a capella group, they could relate. Blaine and Kurt, in particular, seemed drawn to their words, absorbing their meaning like knowledge sponges.

"They're so fascinating!" Kurt breathed excitedly in Blaine's ear as soon as the two sisters had retreated to the kitchen for more food to bring out. "I mean, they're so wise and thoughtful and they've done so many things and they know-"

Blaine laughed quietly. "I know, Kurt, I know. I feel the same. What I wouldn't give to have them as my grandmothers..."

Their snickering died away when the elderly women reappeared with bowls of fruit.

"If you boys like, we'd be happy to give a little hula lesson for you all!" Neska offered.

There was an incomprehensible outbreak of approval along the table. Wes, chuckling, turned to her and said, "I'll take that as a 'yes.' We have a performance in a couple hours, but apart from that I believe we're free for the rest of the day..."

Blaine suddenly remembered Roy's suggestion. He'd all but forgotten about the boy, considering what had happened between him and Kurt last night. "Oh, Wes! Actually, do you remember Roy Hill?"

"Roy?" Wes echoed. He thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I remember him! Black hair, tan, pretty buff?"

Blaine did not miss the sour look on Kurt's face as he nodded.

"What about him?"

"There's a party at his house tonight. He invited us to come and perform." He made sure to use 'us' instead of 'me,' but even so Kurt did not seem enthusiastic to the idea. Wes missed the tension between them, however, because he immediately agreed, pulling out his schedule and penciling it in. Where he got the pencil, Blaine had no idea. He wouldn't put it past Wes to carry one in his pocket, though.

Neska turned to her sister. "What do we have planned for today, Rose?"

Rose mused. "We have the intermediate students coming early this afternoon." She glanced to Wes. "How does three o'clock sound?"

"Perfect. We'll be here!"

…

After their performance at a middle school near Mule's, they decided to hit the beach for a while until it was time for their hula lessons. Blaine and Kurt walked hand-in-hand behind a very energetic Jeff, who was swaying his hips madly in exaggerated hula moves. Nick was dying of laughter. Ethan, Kurt noticed, was chatting very closely with Marcus a few steps away.

"Isn't that cute?" Kurt whispered to Blaine, smiling at the sight. "Wouldn't it be so great if they got together?"

"Is Marcus gay?" Blaine asked, genuinely curious.

Kurt hesitated. "I'm not sure," he confessed. "He's never said anything, but..."

"Well, if he is, then yes, I think they'd be an adorable couple." He turned to his boyfriend and added softly, "Not as adorable as us, though." And he proved his point by stealing a kiss. Kurt grinned against his lips and kissed him back. He would have been more than willing to let it continue, but the Warblers had just stopped their progression and were setting down their towels and bags, so, reluctantly, he broke away.

Just as Blaine was about to offer to do Kurt's back again, he spotted a familiar beach ball.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing Kurt's hand. He was not going to give Kurt any reason to be suspicious of him and Roy. The mere thought of cheating on Kurt made him sick to his stomach. And after the magic of last night...There was no way he'd ever let something get between them. Especially not another man.

"Wh-?" Kurt began, stumbling after him through the sand.

Roy spotted them coming. "Blaine!" he called out, beaming, raising a hand above his head to wave. As he tossed the rainbow beach ball back to his friends and began to make his way towards them, Kurt pinned Blaine with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, _Okay, Blaine, I'm watching. What are you going to do?_

"Hey, good to see you again!" Roy greeted, his voice a little breathy from his jog over. He did not even glance at the brunette beside him.

Blaine smiled politely. "This is my boyfriend, Kurt Hummel. He's staying with Wes as well."

And at the word 'boyfriend,' Roy's smile suddenly faltered. His deep gray eyes finally turned to Kurt, flicking up and down, evidently sizing him up. Kurt stood his ground, a carefully emotionless expression on his face. _Blaine's mine, Blaine's mine, _he kept chanting to himself._ This guy isn't competition. Blaine said so. Calm down. There's no reason to get possessive._

"Pleased to meet you," he said with forced warmth, holding out a hand to shake.

Roy looked at it, and for a split second seemed to debate whether to take it or not. Then he clasped it firmly in his own. "Pleasure's all mine." And with that, he turned back to Blaine. Kurt secretly fumed. He knew that Roy did not see him as a challenge, despite his and Blaine's relationship. And it solidified his worries in his mind. Roy _was_ interested in Blaine. And he was not going to back off just because he was taken. "So did you ask Wes about the party?"

"We'll be coming," Blaine confirmed cheerfully. He had missed the entire underlying judgement that had just gone on between his boyfriend and Roy. "What time should we be there?"

"It starts at seven." He flashed a dazzling white smile that Kurt really hated. "But I doubt it will get into full swing until eight or so...Come whenever you want!"

"Great, we'll see you then." Blaine made a point of using 'we,' meaning both Kurt and the rest of the Warblers, and hoped the Roy got the message. And, just for good measure, he wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist as they walked away, back towards their friends. _See this?_ he was silently saying. _My heart's already been taken._

Kurt sighed heavily when they were out of earshot from Roy.

"You okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah..." He did not want to kick up a fuss again, or let his jealous side show. "That guy just really gets on my nerves."

Blaine hesitated. "You...You didn't think that I-"

"No, no!" Kurt quickly assured. "Don't worry, I trust you." And it was true. Blaine had given Kurt no reason to doubt his loyalty. The flirting had been entirely one-sided, and he knew that. "I just don't trust _him_."

Blaine frowned. He hated seeing Kurt upset. "Do you...not want to go?"

Kurt actually considered it for a second. But then he shook his head. "No, it's fine. Really. Besides, I'm sure Wes is eager to make us do another performance." He smiled, hoping it looked genuine. "I'll go. And hey, maybe we can even do a duet together, like this morning!"

Blaine chuckled. During that day's performance they'd ended up singing an impromptu cover of "Come What May" together that had the crowd on their feet, singing along, and bawling their eyes out by the end of it. Blaine kissed him, letting it linger a bit.

"I can't think of anything I'd love more."

…

About an hour later, after a little bit of swimming and then sunbathing – including a sunscreen massage from Blaine that left Kurt in a state of half-conscious bliss – a shadow passed over them. Kurt squinted at the figure through his sunglasses. Roy stood above them, smiling that irritatingly white smile.

Blaine sat up. Kurt, who had been resting against his chest, was forced up as well. He did not bother to mask his disapproval. Roy did not even spare a glance in his direction, however.

"Blaine!" he greeted, ignoring the countertenor. "Some of us are going to go horseback riding down the beach. You want to come?"

"Horseback riding?" Blaine gasped eagerly. He turned to Kurt, his face illuminated. "Oh, babe, we should totally do it! I did it last time I was in Hawaii and it was _so_ much fun!"

Kurt felt a nudge of smugness at Roy's expression. Blaine had not even realized that it had not been an open invitation; he'd just assumed that he was inviting both of them together, as one. His obliviousness was endearing.

"Sounds great," Kurt agreed, secretly smirking to himself. _What are you going to do now, pretty boy? You either have to endure _me_, Blaine's _boyfriend_, tagging along, or you come off as rude. Your choice._

Roy slapped a cheerful smile on his face as Blaine turned back to him. "Awesome!" he lied. Then, as an afterthought, "Do your friends want to come, too? I'm sure there's enough horses."

…

Everybody ended up going. There was a stable a fifteen minute walk down the beach where they rented the animals. There was a lot of double entendres thrown back and forth between Jeff and Nick about 'riding' the horses together. It was only made funnier when there weren't quite enough, and they immediately volunteered to double-saddle. Blaine and Kurt followed suit, much to Roy's badly-disguised disapproval. Kurt let Blaine choose their horse, never actually having ridden one before himself. It'd always seemed like fun, though. He wasn't worried.

Blaine ended up picking a sleek black stallion with a white-streaked tail. He swung himself up with ease, all-smiles. He glanced down at Kurt expectantly, then paused when he saw his expression.

"Kurt...Have you never ridden before?" he surmised.

"No, not exactly," he confessed.

But Blaine just grinned. "Here, take my hand." He reached down and offered his hand, which Kurt took willingly. "You trust me, right?" Kurt nodded. "Alright, now put your foot in the stirrup there...Yeah, like that. Now jump!"

He did as he was told, and Blaine managed to pull him up behind him on the horse's back. He instinctively locked his arms around Blaine's waist. He had not realized how high up they would be.

"You alright?" Blaine chuckled.

Kurt's answer was to kiss him on the cheek. Blaine twisted in the saddle and pressed a proper kiss to his lips, which he reciprocated eagerly.

"Hey, love birds!" Ethan called as he cantered passed on a gray mare. "If you don't stop making out we'll leave you behind!"

They laughed good-naturedly and broke the kiss. Roy, Kurt noticed out of the corner of his eye, was glaring daggers at him. Pointedly tightening his hold around Blaine, he rested his chin on his shoulder and beamed. They began at a walk, but everyone else wanted to go faster, so they picked it up to a trot. At first, Kurt was terrified of falling. And from the close proximity Roy had to them, he would not put it past him to push him off. But over time, he got used to it, and he found himself actually quite enjoying himself. The wind drifting off the water danced around them, and the sound of the crashing waves was very serene.

If only Roy wasn't right there, then it would be simply perfect.

…

**Slightly longer chapter to make up for the delay?**

**I love you! Reviews are as amazing as horseback riding on the beach. How do you think the hula lessons are going to go? And Roy's party that night! Dun dun duuuuun...**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	12. Chapter 12: Kiss

**I really should be doing homework. Or sleeping. But I'm not. Big shocker ;D**

**To those of you that haven't heard via my other stories yet: I am now on Tumblr! :D Huzzah! Lol I'm **rippleklainebagels**.**

**Sorry the hula lessons were kinda vague. I don't know the first thing about hula, apart from the fact it tells a story and is absolutely beautiful.**

…

The Warblers returned to Frigid that afternoon for their hula lessons with Rose and Neska. The elderly women led them to the backyard, which was basically a large, grassy clearing that ended in a sheer cliff dropping into the ocean. A patch of dirt near one end indicated where the stage was usually set up.

Neska and Rose herded the boys to the center of the pasture and lined them up in rows. They were then taught the basics and shown a demonstration from the women before being let loose to practice on their own.

"Just let the music, and the sound of the waves, and the feel of the wind guide you!" Rose – or possibly Neska; none of them were sure – advised to the group of teenagers. Some, such as Kurt and Jeff, picked it up almost at once. Others, such as Marcus and Ethan and Thad, struggled with it. Blaine knew that he would have done better if Kurt's swaying hips hadn't kept drawing his focus. _And really, who can blame me?_ he justified, once again catching himself staring openly at his boyfriend swiveled his hips, eyes closed, a small, serene smile on his lips. _The sexiest man in the world is dancing three feet away from me. Who wouldn't get distracted?_

Just then, Kurt innocently danced closer.

"I really enjoyed horseback riding today," he murmured, his eyes still shut. It was as if he was in a trance. Neska nodded approvingly as she passed, flashing a knowing smirk at Blaine when she saw him once more lose his rhythm. "We should do it again sometime..."

"Definitely," Blaine agreed, cursing himself for how breathless he sounded.

"Without Roy," Kurt added, his voice a little sharper now. He opened his eyes.

Blaine frowned. "Sure?" He stopped dancing. "What's wrong?"

Kurt avoided his gaze. "I just...didn't like having him around," he muttered. "He has absolutely no shame."

"He was the one that invited us in the first place!" Blaine couldn't help but defend. And now Kurt had stopped dancing as well. The rest of the boys spun and swayed around them, getting tips from the two teachers, but for some reason they all pointedly ignored Kurt and Blaine's sudden lack of participation. "You're just overreacting..."

The brunette's eyebrow rose dangerously. "Overreacting?" he echoed. "Blaine, Roy was mentally undressing you the _entire_ time! Why can't you see that?"

"Why can't _you_ see that nothing's going to happen?" Blaine snapped back. "God, it's like you don't trust me at _all!_"

"Well it's sort of hard to trust you when you don't do anything to stop his blatant flirting!"

Blaine scoffed. "We are _not_ having this conversation." He turned on his heel and headed back inside, not caring that he might be offending the hula instructors. He had to get away. _Now_.

"Oh _hell_ no, you are not walking away from me!" Kurt shouted, chasing after him.

Suddenly, Neska – or was it Rose? – stepped in front of him, blocking his path back inside. "Let him go," she murmured calmly. "He needs to cool off." Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but the woman took his upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip and added, "Come with me. We're going to have a little chat, hmm? Rose, dear, can you continue with the lesson by yourself?"

_Okay, so this one's Neska._

"Of course," Rose agreed. "Come on, boys, feel the beat! You've got to _express_ yourself!"

Neska led Kurt across the clearing and down along the cliff ledge. Kurt flashed back to the Warblers' camping trip, and Blaine's fall into the lake. He took a subtle step away from the edge. They just kept walking, saying nothing. Neska was waiting for Kurt to start.

"Blaine's mad at me." It was a statement. Nothing more.

Neska did not respond at first. "Couples fight. It is unavoidable."

Kurt sighed heavily and slowed to a stop. Neska gently tugged him down, and they sat side-by-side with their legs dangling over the cliff's ledge, the wind coming off the water and pushing them back, playing with their hair. "This- This would be our first fight," he confessed quietly.

She nodded. "There is a first time for everything."

"But I didn't _want_ to have this first!" He hated how whiny he sounded. She chuckled and patted his knee with her warm, wrinkly hand. "I just don't get why he doesn't _do_ anything...Roy has done nothing but flirt with him the whole time, but he just smiles and lets him! Am I just supposed to sit by and _watch?_ Because I am _not_ the type of boyfriend that will just-"

Neska laughed out loud. "Kurt, _breathe!_" she giggled. "Are you speaking of Roy Hill?" Kurt nodded. "I know the boy...He has a reputation for being a little...promiscuous."

Kurt snorted. "I'm not surprised..." He heaved another sigh and leaned against her shoulder. "I don't know anymore...Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so mad at him."

Neska smiled down at him. "Look down at the beach, Kurt." He sat up a little and did as she told. It was probably twenty feet below them. "Watch the waves. Relationships are like waves...They build up, and crash, and sweep you off your feet, and sometimes they hurt and make you lose control. But what they leave behind is smooth, and polished, and beautiful..." Kurt sniffed, and she wrapped a thin arm around his shoulders. "Everything is going to work out in the end, Kurt. It's good to get everything out in the open, but once you let it out, you've got to let it _go_...Like the waves. Just let it all wash away..."

…

When they arrived at Roy's house at half past eight, the party was already in full swing, the guests spilling out onto the lawn and beach. Inside was warm and everybody was packed together. There were people of all ages in attendance, but everybody seemed to be having fun. The older guests were nursing alcoholic drinks – there was a bar in the kitchen – while the younger kids were getting sugar rushes from juice and punch. Music pulsed through the house. People who weren't dancing were lounging on the couches and chairs, conversing with one another above the noise. The Warblers were quick to disperse amongst the party-goers, eager for a bit of fun.

Half an hour later, Kurt found himself out on the lawn. The cool, night air was a welcome change from the heat found on the dance floor back inside. He was with David and Marcus, chatting with a couple local girls and sipping at his punch, which he was fairly certain had a little bit of rum in it.

Just then, he caught sight of Blaine. The boy was leaning against a palm tree a little ways away, back to him, talking with none other than Roy. Kurt felt his blood boil at the sight. The taller boy was gazing down at Kurt's boyfriend like a feline with her pray. It made Kurt want to hit something. Preferably Roy's face. Their heads were far too close together for Kurt's comfort.

And then Roy glanced up and noticed him watching.

With a wide, taunting smirk, he slipped his hand under Blaine's chin, leaned in, and pressed his lips firmly to Blaine's.

…

**Oh damn. The shit hath hitteth the fan.**

**I love old lady advice! :) All of my grandparents died before I even started high school, so I'm sure writing about these wise, friendly old women stems from some psychological craving to recreate my grandmothers or something...But anywho. **

**Next chapter: More angst. Sorry. But the old ladies return! :D**

**(I have an unhealthy obsession with these hula teachers. I regret nothing.)**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	13. Chapter 13: Torn

**The majority of reviews are along the lines of 'I hate Roy!' Which I find amusing, because in 'Camping' you did the same thing about Ethan, and by the end a few of you actually ended up feeling really bad for him and, dare I say it, ****_liking_**** him!**

**I'm not saying you'll like Roy in the end. He's a prick. I'll be the first to admit that ;)**

…

Kurt felt like he'd just been fit head-on by an eighteen wheeler. All the air in his lungs left him in a sharp exhale of shock, of defeat. He heard himself mutter "I have to go," not caring that he'd just interrupted one of the girls, and thrust his drink blindly into Marcus's hand. Nothing was computing. He was running – full out sprinting like his life depended on it – without the conscious decision to do so. His legs were positively flying over the ground. But he couldn't escape. The image was burned into his retinas, mocking him.

_How could this happen?_

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of bursting through the front door of Wes's house, and barreling up the stairs two at a time, and throwing the door to their guest room open, and flinging himself onto the bed. The tears were falling before he could even think to stop them. He tried to take a deep breath, but a shuddering sob cut through him like a knife. His throat closed up. Everything hurt. Nothing made sense anymore.

Kurt couldn't wrap his mind around it. Sure, he and Blaine had fought earlier, but he had assumed that they'd kiss and make up and everything would be fine. Obviously that was just his naiveté showing through. Blaine clearly was more attracted to Roy than he'd let on.

_Did last night not mean as much to him as it did to me?_

Every promise Blaine had ever made him, every sweet whisper, every kiss, every touch, had it all meant _nothing_ to him?

And with that thought, he felt his heart shatter into small, irreparable pieces.

He lay sprawled there crying for an immeasurable amount of time. It did not feel like very long, however, when he heard a soft knock at the doorway. He did not bother glancing up to see who it was. He didn't care who saw him anymore. He didn't care about _anything_ anymore.

"Kurt?" Ethan asked softly.

No response.

Ethan moved into the room quietly, sinking down onto the foot of the bed after a moment of hesitation. "Kurt?" he tried again, his voice soft, unsure. "Kurt, come on, talk to me..."

"H-He- He-!" Kurt attempted brokenly. He gave up as another round of sobs wracked his entire body, and he buried his head into a pillow – a pillow that still lingered with Blaine's scent. _This is hell._

Ethan tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react. "Kurt, I saw you leave the party. What happened? Why are you so upset? Did someone say something mean to you?"

Kurt couldn't help but scoff. As if _words_ could hurt him this much. "B-Blaine..." he managed to get out. "He a-and _Roy_...!"

Ethan frowned, not following. "What about Blaine and Roy?"

"Th-They kissed!" he wailed.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Oh...!"

And then he fell silent. Because, really, what was there to say to something like that? For a while, neither of them spoke. Ethan just rubbed his back and let Kurt cry in peace. Or at least, as much peace as he could find in the situation. Which wasn't much.

"Look, Kurt," Ethan finally sighed. "I wasn't there, I didn't see it, but...I just can't believe Blaine would _cheat_ on you! You guys seemed so _happy_ together..."

Kurt sniffed. "Yeah, I thought so, too."

…

Blaine shoved Roy away. Hard.

"What the _hell_?" he shouted, furious. He felt dirty, defiled. Suddenly, he understood how Kurt must have felt when Karofsky forced himself on him in the locker room. Kissing Roy was awful. His mouth was too hard, too sloppy, too...too _not Kurt_. "Are you _stupid?_ I'm taken, Roy! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Roy smirked, unperturbed. "Not for long..."

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, grinding his teeth together, restraining himself from knocking the idiot to the ground then and there. But then Roy spoke, and the words froze Blaine in his tracks.

"Kurt saw us."

He turned back slowly, eyes wide in disbelief. "_What?_"

"He saw," Roy repeated calmly. "And he didn't stick around. Guess he didn't care enough about you to fight for you." He took a step towards Blaine, raising a suggestive eyebrow. "Now that he's not in our way-"

Blaine bit his tongue against the stream of profanities threatening to burst out of his mouth. He stormed off, away from Roy, away from his stupid blinding smile and his stupid cocky attitude and his stupid tanned skin and his stupid chiseled muscles and _god, where the hell is Kurt?_ Blaine needed to find him. More than anything. He needed a distraction to keep him from knocking Roy unconscious and dragging him into the ocean and leaving him for the sharks.

"Blaine!" David called over the pounding music.

"Kurt!" Blaine gasped. "Where is he?"

"He left," David answered unhelpfully, glancing back at the house.

"I think he went back home, actually," Marcus chipped in. With a nod of thanks, Blaine was off, making his way back to the street and down towards Wes's house.

When he arrived, he could hear Kurt crying upstairs. He hurried up to the second floor, pausing just before he reached their room, trying to catch his breath. To his immense surprise, he heard Ethan's voice.

"Do you remember when the three of us sat talking by the lake at the end of the Warbler camping trip?"

There was a pause. Blaine imaged that Kurt's expression was probably just as confused as his own. "Um...Yeah? W-What about it?"

"Remember how I said if Blaine ever screwed things up, that I'd be there...?"

Something inside Blaine cleaved in two.

_No. No! This can't be happening!_

"Kurt!" he cried, bursting into the room. But he froze after only a step passed the door. Kurt was sitting on the bed, knees curled to his chest, his arms locked around a tear-soaked pillow, his cheeks blotchy and his eyes red-rimmed and shining. Ethan had an arm tightly around his shoulders. They both looked up in surprise.

"Blaine!" Ethan gasped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled. "Get out!"

"Don't yell at him!" Kurt snapped back, leaping to his feet and tossing the pillow aside, and Blaine was taken aback to see the anger flare in the brunette's eyes, the passion he used to love about the boy – _still_ loved – now turning on him, _against_ him. "Ethan's allowed to be here!"

"_God_, Kurt, you're such a hypocrite!" Blaine couldn't help but throw back, fueled by frustration and offense. "You get mad at _me_ for everything that happened with Roy, but here you are with _him_-"

"Don't turn this around on me!" Kurt screeched. "You have _no_ right to talk or tell me what to do! I'm not doing _anything_ wrong – it's _you_ that's fucked everything up!"

And then Blaine fell eerily calm. "I have to go." He turned his back to them. "If I look at you for any longer, I'm going to hit you."

He left a speechless Ethan and a completely broken Kurt behind as he made his way back downstairs, and out into the night.

…

Blaine did not sleep that night. He stayed out on the porch until the rest of the Warblers returned, around one in the morning. They knew instantly from his murderous expression not to ask for details, or try and convince him to go get some rest. If truth be told, he was exhausted; his eyes itched with sleepiness and he yawned seemingly constantly. But he could not go back in, could not return to that bedroom, could not face Kurt and share that bed with him. It would bring too many memories back. And right now, memories were the last thing he wanted to face.

He must have fallen asleep on one of the porch lounge chairs, however, because the next thing he remembered was waking to the sound of soft footsteps approaching. He sat up quickly, rubbing his face.

"Blaine, I need to talk to you."

His jaw clenched. _Don't punch him. Don't throw him off the balcony. Don't rip out his hair_, he chanted to himself.

"We have nothing to talk about." He got to his feet. Ethan was between him and the front door. He strode forwards, hoping that the blond would let him pass and go inside. But no such luck. "_Move_," he practically growled.

"Blaine, I wasn't hitting on Kurt."

"Yeah, sure," Blaine scoffed, shoving his fists into his pockets and looking anywhere but at Ethan. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to have anything to do with him. Him _or_ Kurt. They could go off and live happily ever after and he wouldn't give a shit.

Or at least, that was what he was desperately trying to convince himself of.

"I swear!" Ethan insisted. Blaine tried to side-step him, but he moved to block his path again. _Damn him and his height_..."Blaine, just _listen_ to me. Yes, at the lake, I said that if you screwed it up with Kurt I'd be there to steal him away. But you burst in before I could _finish!_"

Blaine glowered up at him, but grudgingly allowed him to continue.

"I was about to say that I couldn't do that anymore," he went on quietly. "Because you told me, back then, that you had no intention of letting him go. And after seeing you two together, how _happy_ you make each other...I could never compare with that. So I'm not going to _let_ you let him go. Got that, Anderson? You'd better find a way to fix this between you guys, because...because you two were just _made_ for each other, and everybody knows it."

Blaine was silent for a long time.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced, stepping down off the porch, onto the front pathway leading to the street. Ethan did not stop him. When he reached the sidewalk, however, the taller boy called after him.

"Kurt couldn't fall asleep last night." He waited as Blaine slowed to a stop, turned back to him, frowned slightly at this seemingly random piece of information. "He kept tossing and turning. And crying. For-...For you." Ethan turned to retreat back indoors. "Just thought you should know."

Blaine sighed heavily and kept walking. He was torn. He didn't know what to do anymore, what to think, what to feel. He'd never felt this lost before. He needed advise. He needed guidance.

He looked up. His feet had taken him back to Frigid. One of the twin sisters was smiling at him knowingly from the door stoop.

"Come in, Blaine," she invited softly. "You look like you could use some hot cocoa."

…

**MY CREYS. SOMEONE HOLD ME.**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	14. Chapter 14: Listen

**Shit just got real. Which is why I'm updating this one so often ;)**

**I keep writing half of a chapter in school, and then finishing it while "poofin' on almond pastries" at the local coffee shop with my subconscious, Yelah. Also, she has decided that my fanfic notebook is a condom. Because it protects me.**

**I need a life. Or maybe a new subconscious.**

…

Rose sat with Blaine in the living room while Neska made the hot cocoa. Neither of them spoke. Only when Neska entered, distributed the mugs, and settled herself down on the couch opposite them did Rose break the silence.

"Am I right to assume your state of distress has something to do with Kurt?"

He sighed into his hot cocoa. Just the name made his heart ache. "That obvious, huh?"

The twins chuckled. "We've been around for quite a while, my dear," Rose assured. "We can spot young love from miles away. And you two..." She shook her head, still smiling. "What seems to be the problem, sweetheart?"

He did not speak at first.

"Does this happen to do with that Roy Hill fellow?" Neska guessed.

His head snapped up, anger suddenly flashing across his face. "I'm gonna kill that son of a-!" He stopped himself. Even in such a distraught state, he could not bring himself to cuss in the company of elderly women. They chuckled, though, clearly knowing what he'd been about to say.

Rose looked thoughtful. "Do you want to tell us what happened?"

And, for some reason, he found himself opening up, explaining all about running into Roy on the beach, and Kurt's jealousy, and the horseback riding, and the party, and finding him in the bedroom with Ethan. He even went into a little bit of detail about his history with Ethan and the Warblers' camping trip earlier in the year. Once he got going, he couldn't stop. The words and the tears flowed out of him in an uncontrollable stream of emotion. The sisters listened to him without interruption.

"And I just- I don't know what to do anymore!" Blaine finished with, sniffing and wiping at his eyes with his sleeve.

Rose patted him soothingly on the leg. "It's okay, dear. It's okay...Everything's going to be just fine." He took a shuddering breath and chugged back the last of his not-so-hot-anymore cocoa. "Now. Let me just make sure I've got this straight. _Kurt_ is upset with _you_ because he thinks you like Roy, and _you're_ upset with _him_ because he thinks that, and you're _both_ upset with Roy. And then Ethan was just sort of the final straw that broke the camel's back?"

Blaine paused. "Yeah," he hiccuped. "That's basically it..." His head fell into his hands with a groan. "God, what am I supposed to _do_? I-...I still love him!" And then, damn it all, a fresh round of tears hit him like an avalanche. He did not even realize his body could produce this many tears.

Neska piped up, oddly cheerful considering his current state. "Well, there's a simple solution to all of this." Blaine stared at her expectantly. "Communication!"

Blaine collapsed back into the couch. "Clearly you don't know Kurt the way I do," he muttered. "He's as stubborn as all hell. Trust me, if I thought a nice little chat over tea and biscuits could solve this, I'd be over there right now with a vat of earl gray and a hundred crumpets."

Rose and Neska exchanged an unreadable look. "Then you need to _get_ him to listen to you," Neska insisted. "You've got to express yourself in a way he can understand. It doesn't have to be spoken words. It can be _anything_ – a dance, a song, a letter...Trust me, he'll listen."

And even though he hardly knew her, he could not help but believe her.

…

Their performance that night was to be in the clearing behind Frigid. A stage was set up, torches were lit surrounding the perimeter, food was set out, locals came by the dozens to dance and mingle. It was their greatest turn-out so far.

Blaine had briefly attempted to talk to Kurt that morning when Wes announced that the Warblers would be going jet skiing. But Kurt's answers were curt and snipped; Blaine soon gave up. Kurt made sure that they were in different boats.

_What's become of us?_

By the time evening fell, and they were ready to take the stage, though, he knew what he had to do. At this point, he'd lost any sense of self-dignity or pride. He was willing to do anything to make Kurt see, to make him understand, to get him back. Hell, he'd get down on his knees and full-out _grovel_ if he thought it would have any effect.

Simply put, Blaine Anderson was desperate.

The Warblers ran threw a few popular crowd-pleasers, namely songs they'd used for past competitions. Soon enough, though, they broke up, as was usual, letting the members relax and enjoy the party and get a moment in the spotlight if they so wished it. It was sort of like an open-mic specifically for them.

"Hey, Jeff?" Blaine murmured in the blond's ear. Jeff and Nick had been hovering by the side of the stage as Marcus, Ethan and Trent harmonized onstage to Rihanna's latest top hit. "Would you two mind if I went next? I have something really important I need to say- I mean, sing."

They both smirked at him in understanding. "Go right ahead, Blaine."

He nodded his thanks just as the trio's song ended. He made his way up the stairs and moved to take their place in the center of the stage, flashing them a halfhearted smile as they exited on a round of applause. He pulled a stool forward and grabbed one of the acoustic guitars from the rack in the corner. The audience stirred eagerly. This was the first time somebody would accompany himself with an instrument.

"Hey, everyone!" he greeted into the microphone, adjusting himself a little on the stool. There was a brief increase in noise from the crowd as they responded cheerfully. He found Kurt almost instantly. The countertenor stood in the back with Flint and Thad, near the food table, but all three of the boys had paused to listen to Blaine. He could not read Kurt's expression. He locked onto his boyfriend's – _can I even still call him that?_ – gaze and didn't dare let it go. "I'm going to slow things down a bit with this next one, if you don't mind..."

There was an excited murmuring of consent from the locals.

"This song is...for somebody very dear to me." He paused, making sure Kurt realized that he was talking about him. Even from across the clearing, Blaine could tell that he was blushing a little. "We're going through a rough patch right now, but I need him to know how much I want us to be okay again...And no matter what happens, he will always be the only one for me."

The audience 'aaw'ed, including the Warblers. Wes shoved a couple knuckles in his mouth and bit down to keep from crying. Thad rolled his eyes at his fellow Council member's reaction. Kurt, however, didn't even remember that they were there anymore. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't. He was frozen to the spot. The hope in him was like lead, anchoring him where he stood; the desire to make up and forget this all happened was too powerful. He watched Blaine silently as he strummed the first few chords. He heard Blaine's silent message to him. _Listen._

_If you ever leave me, baby,_

_Leave some morphine at my door_

_Cause it would take a whole lot of medication_

_To realize what we used to have,_

_We don't have it anymore._

His jaw dropped. He could hear Wes sniffling softly somewhere off to his left, and Thad awkwardly trying to comfort him, but his entire focus was trained upon the boy onstage, the boy who was laying his heart on the line, exposing himself to a hundred strangers and not caring, because he was determined to make Kurt hear him. And hear him, Kurt did. Loud and clear. He felt like, with every line, Blaine was picking up the pieces of his broken heart and delicately setting them back together again.

And only Blaine had the power to do that, Kurt realized. Because his heart would forever and always be unconditionally in Blaine's hands.

_Cause there'll be no sunlight_

_if I lose you, baby_

_There'll be no clear skies_

_if I lose you, baby_

_Just like the clouds,_

_my eyes will do the same if you walk away_

_Everyday, it will rain,_

_rain, rain..._

The applause was deafening. Blaine hardly even heard it, though. He set down the guitar, leapt off the stage, and made a beeline through the crowd towards Kurt, slowing a few paces away, waiting with bated breath. It felt like everybody else present was waiting along with him, particularly the Warblers. There was tense silence as they did nothing but stare into each other's oh-so-familiar eyes.

And then Kurt sighed heavily. "I have a song for you, too..." he whispered, just loud enough for Blaine to hear.

That was all. No passionate kiss of forgiveness. No slap in the face of rejection. Just a neutral statement, heavy with possibilities. Blaine was only slightly comforted by the gentle hand on his shoulder as Kurt passed.

The brunette took the stage now, and everybody watched closely to see what the responding song would be. Blaine was quite sure he had never been this nervous in his whole life. Which really said something, because he'd performed in front of competition audiences before. That was nothing compared to the nerves that coursed through him now. _What if he doesn't want me back? What if he decides I'm not worth it anymore? What if we never fix this?_ The thought nearly crippled him.

_Should've kissed you there _

_I should've held your face _

_I should've watched those eyes _

_Instead of run in place _

_I should've called you out _

_I should've said your name _

_I should've turned around _

_I should've looked again _

Blaine's breath caught in his throat. One of the twins – Rose, he was pretty sure – suddenly joined in on the piano near the back door. How she knew what to play, Blaine had no idea. But he couldn't mull over it. Kurt's voice was hypnotic; he couldn't focus on anything else. He read into every facial expression, every word, every glance thrown his way.

_But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made _

_I 'm staring at the mess I made _

_I 'm staring at the mess I made _

_As you turn, you take your heart and walk away _

By the end of the song, both boys had tears streaming down their faces.

"Blaine..." Kurt smiled shyly, pausing until the roar of cheering and clapping died down a bit. "I'll forgive you...Only if _you_ forgive _me_ first."

Blaine burst out laughing. Relief coursed through him. He felt lightheaded. He all but ran through the crowd, meeting Kurt just as he jumped off the stage. Not caring one bit that they were in front of a large audience, Blaine grabbed Kurt in his arms and kissed his for all he was worth. Kurt responded with enthusiasm. He was so happy to be back in Blaine's arms, where he belonged, that he began to cry even harder. Blaine pulled back just enough to brush the hot tears from his cheeks with his thumbs. They stood there, completely alone in the sea of people, staring into each other's eyes with broad smiles that could light up the nighttime sky.

Everything was right with the world again.

…

**Alex Goot's cover of "It Will Rain" had me in tears. So, obviously, I wrote it in.**

**Don't worry, it's not over! :) There's still one more chapter to go. Gotta deal with the Roy situation after all, now don't we? ;P**

**I made Rose accompany Kurt because the notes of "The Mess I Made" are simple enough to improv. Especially for an old lady who probably knows how to play a dozen different instruments. Sorry the piano just kinda randomly popped up. It was always there, I promise, it's just now being mentioned!**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


	15. Chapter 15: Washed Away END

**Wrote this out on Monday, but I haven't had any internet until now. We've been hit with severe winds that cut off our electricity. Our Christmas lights are all either broken or gone; the fence separating us from our neighbors is blown down; the outer walls of our house are shaking; school was canceled; my mother just left for a stroll around the block to 'observe the debris.' Everybody's gone looney! Although in my mother's defense, this is the most excitement we've gotten since two summers ago when we were evacuated (twice) due to the fire.**

**I lead such a ****_marvelous_**** life, hmm? ;)**

…

Blaine and Kurt were the last to rise the next morning, and the Warblers had a fairly good idea why. They said nothing of it, though; they were just glad that their 'power couple' had stopped fighting. Everything was much easier to enjoy without the gigantic elephant in the room.

Since it was their final morning in Hawaii, it was mostly dedicated to packing up and just relaxing. Blaine finished gathering his things together in only fifteen minutes, but Kurt took predictably longer. Much longer. Although, to be fair, Blaine volunteered to help, and they got easily sidetracked at the lightest of touches, the briefest of kisses. It was like they hadn't seen each other in years and were making up for lost time.

"I can't believe I thought even for a _second_ that you would cheat on me," Kurt sighed, snuggling still closer into Blaine's chest. They'd finally packed away all of Kurt's belongings, and were now resting on the bed together before going downstairs and joining the others. Blaine traced abstract patterns across Kurt's back with his ring finger.

"I would never even dream of it," he promised, gentle yet firm. "You're my whole world, Kurt – I don't know how else I can make you see that. I know-...I know we're young, and high school relationships hardly ever last, but...Kurt, I honestly can't picture my life without you anymore."

Kurt struggled for the words. "Oh thank god," he finally breathed. Then, laughing at Blaine's confused expression, he explained, "That's exactly how I feel, too."

"Fabulous minds think alike?"

Kurt chuckled and kissed him on the forehead. "Precisely."

…

After a late breakfast, Blaine invited Kurt for a final stroll along the beach before their afternoon flight back to Ohio. It was fairly empty, which suited them just fine. They wandered down the waterline, their feet just barely getting wet, their arms wrapped around one another, their smiles chiseled into their faces.

"You know, even though this trip didn't turn out the way I'd imagined...I don't regret coming," Kurt mused. "I feel like we're even stronger now."

Blaine's hand rubbed up and down Kurt's waist. "I couldn't agree more," he beamed. "If we can get through that, I'm not too worried about the future. _Our_ future."

_It's official. I have the greatest boyfriend in the whole world._

And then, suddenly, a figure was blocking their path.

"Blaine!" Roy hailed. "Haven't seen you since the party! Too numb from our kiss to move or something?"

"I swear to god I'm going to tear that smirk right off your _face_, you god damn-!" Kurt growled. Blaine pulled him back.

"Kurt, don't," he muttered under his breath. "He's not even worth it."

"Oh come on, baby, don't be like that."

Kurt cut into the boy with the iciest of glares, and Blaine saw the flash of surprise across Roy's face, even a little fright. "Okay, listen here, Hill," Kurt spat, lethally quiet. "One, Blaine's not your 'baby.' Two, Blaine's not yours, _period_! He's mine. You need to learn that some people are off limits. And I cannot _wait_ for the day you step out of line one too many times and get a black eye for it."

Blaine – with a smirk of his own in place, because _damn_, Kurt was hot when he got territorial like that – steered the countertenor around to head back towards the house. But then he paused. And glanced back. And retraced his steps. And smiled up at Roy.

And punched him squarely in the nose.

…

Five minutes later, Kurt was still chuckling to himself.

"Is this going to become a pattern for you?" he managed to get out. Not yet ready to go back to Wes's, they'd bypassed the beach house and continued walking until they came across a nice little outcrop for them to sit on together. The sun was high in the sky, making the water glisten before them. Waves crashed upon the rocks and sprayed them with a fine mist.

"Pattern?" Blaine echoed.

"Punching people in the face when they threaten our relationship," Kurt clarified. "You did the same to Ethan."

Blaine joined him in laughing. "I guess so, yeah! What can I say, I don't want anything to come between us again..." He winked, pulling Kurt closer. The younger boy settled himself into Blaine's side, where he fit perfectly. _Everything_ about them fit perfectly. Their fight had been hard on both of them, yes, but he'd never felt closer to Blaine than in that moment. They understood each other even better now, appreciated one another more.

"Neska was right," Kurt realized.

"I'm sorry?"

Kurt gazed out over the ocean, then down at the waves lapping at their rock. He retold Neska's comparison between waves and relationships. "So even though we fought and we hurt...Everything washed away. Leaving behind something...polished, and beautiful." He frowned to himself. "Sorry, I'm not making much sense, am I?"

Blaine laughed again and kissed his temple. "No, you're making perfect sense." His lips pressed to Kurt's cheek next. "And I love you, too." And finally, his lips found their way to Kurt's.

Kurt hummed happily into the kiss. "I knew you'd understand."

…

**Last chapter. *le sob***

**I can't even tell you how grateful I am for all of you – for those of you that favorited and alerted me and this story, but mostly to the reviewers that encouraged me and made me laugh and forgave me for my horrific updating patterns. You guys are my motivation for writing :) I sincerely hope you enjoyed this fic! And if you're as sad as I am that it's over, feel free to go read my other stories, and hit me up on Tumblr (rippleklainebagels). Until next time!**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


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